Forget Me Not
by The Shay-Shay
Summary: A woman is found on the outskirts of New Bark Town, without memory of who she was or where she'd come from. Thanks to a smug little Totodile, however, she's not going to have an easy time in figuring things out as she journeys through Johto to search for answers.
1. Prologue: Wake Up

**Forget Me Not**

**Prologue:  
Wake Up**

**_Note_: After much talk with a fellow writer, and slight collaboration on ideas-and permissible borrowing of his character for this story-I have taken up a Nuzlocke Challenge, via writing, since it would take me forever to create even one comic page for the comic challenge. :P But, all in all, I blame this friend of mine. **Well. I can't blame the entire thing on him. But he is an enabler who cranked up the dial to eleven. Then broke it off. So the ideas wouldn't stop. He's terrible like that. I love it. :P****

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how **Pokémon** look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_My whole world turned upside down. I can adjust."_**  
-Dr. Temperance Brennan, "**_**Bones**_**"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

They asked questions…a lot of them. She honestly couldn't remember half of them, and she didn't think she had an answer for even a quarter of them, never mind half.

_Where are you from? _

_How did you get here?_

_Where's your team?_

_What's your name?_

No trainer license, no registration, no team, no nothing, except for whatever she had on her person when they'd found her. She'd looked like a drowned Rattata, they'd said, coughing up half the lake just outside New Bark Town, soaked to the bone, disoriented and dazed without a clue as to where she was. She didn't even have half a clue as to who she was.

Blood-soaked clothes, a sodden hat, combat boots, heavy coat, no memory…

A mystery. Or so they called her. She didn't think so.

Or so she wanted to believe that.

There was no full-scale Pokemon Center in New Bark Town to recover at, none that could support everything she needed, so the closest facility with help needing fulfilling was the Pokemon Lab. It was there she'd been taken. It only seemed fitting, considering it had been Professor Elm who'd found her in the middle of his field research. The authorities came with a physician, questioned, poked, prodded, gave up, left. The report would be filed, but for the time being, nothing could be done, they'd said.

Well, it seemed like they were giving up. At least they didn't take her with, dangling in cuffs and dipped in confusion. That left her feeling uncomfortable, bone-soaked, and alone with the older, bespectacled man. After a bit of awkward shuffling about, she was in borrowed but dried clothes, and a small office space-turned-makeshift-bedroom in the lab, left to sort through her belongings, which the police hadn't done.

Something told her that that alone was odd. She didn't know why. But it did.

The form fitting brown coat she had was laden with pockets. In the pockets, she found objects of interest. The obvious thing that she thought the police should have done—and was glad they didn't after doing it herself—was several questionable items that made her question who she was.

The largest object in question was a leather-bound and worn journal—slipped in a plastic bag for protection, had she been expecting a dip in the lake?—with confusing entries and even more confusing hand drawn sketches. Did she do them? Then she found a wallet, something the police had asked about, although she feigned she didn't have one. Her gut told her to evade the question. She wasn't sure why, but she trusted it, even if she didn't understand. Inside it was sparse. Some cash, a few pictures, similarly protected as the journal, these with lamination, although only one featured her, the rest were faces she didn't recognize. Did she steal it? There was an ID in it, although the face in the picture—her face, she was sure of it—was younger, not scarred, more sure of who she was.

Another questionable object was case-bound, electronic, flat-screened. Communication device, she concluded. Cellular phone of some sort. But it was dead, damaged by the dip in the lake. Useless. Keys, perhaps to a house, a car, an office, maybe? No key chains, nothing personal. No leads.

Everything seemed normal up until the knives. One was made of bone, no…a fang. A giant fang, serrated near the leather hilt, the natural edge forged in metal. It stung the moment she tried to run her finger over, and she ended up flinging the thing away from her, sucking at her offended digit with wide eyes. Then she noticed that faint whiff of something…burning. It took her only a moment to realize it wasn't her finger, no, but the metal on the fang-blade itself. Silver, her mind had provided, along with instinct to shy away, especially after taking a peek at the second knife. All metal, leather handled, forged from steel, with a caricature carved in the blade of a wolf-creature under the full moon, but the edge, it was the same as the fang-blade: silver.

Maybe she was more a mystery than she would have liked.

Weapons, a dead phone, pictures with faces she didn't recognize, a strange book. And the two necklaces around her neck.

A personal charm that held no familiarity to her, other than a faint resemblance to the tattoo on her left arm. And the second, a pair of dog tags, both bearing a name she also didn't recognize, but was willing enough to snap up for the time being until she knew who she was: Lupin Ferus, born 8 April 1985. And a captain, apparently. But captain of what, she had to wonder.

It wasn't much, but it was something. That was certainly better than nothing.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	2. Chapter One: Tiptoe

**Chapter One:  
Tiptoe**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how****Pokémon****look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them ****out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note:_ I apologize to everyone. I had not realized that, somehow, chapter two of this story got replaced with another copy of chapter three. I'm not sure if it was me (which is quite possible) or if it was the system, but I've re-uploaded this to fix that mishap.**

**I also made a mistake regarding Phillips' last name. Originally, it was 'Armstrong', but then I had accidentally changed it in later chapters to 'Sykes'. I just decided to edit it to Sykes instead, since I like it a little more than Armstrong. XD**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_From your slanted view see the morning dew__  
__Sink into the soil, watch the water boil__  
__They won't see me run, who can blame them?__  
__They never look to see me fly, so I never have to lie_  
**-"Tiptoe" by Imagine Dragons**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_Let's start off slow. What do I know? _

She stared at the items on the table, all on line, neat and orderly. She furrowed her brow, gaze lingering on the dog tags.

…_well, I have no idea who I am, because I'm either paranoid and thought havin' personal stuff on me was a risk, or…_

Lupin sighed.

_Or I have no clue. _

She picked up the dog tags and looped the chain back over her head, nestling the metal bits alongside the pentagram charm. Then she picked up the journal next, brow furrowing even more as she guided her hands over the cover, the well-worn spine and the backing, along the pages that were uneven and lipped. They roved over cracks and creases, imperfections that made her wonder if it had been her hands that had created this book, or if it had been somebody else's hands.

Pages rustled and she breathed deep the scent of the book, the weathered pages, the graphite and charcoal and ink that stained them, the newspaper clippings and printed articles pasted and stapled and taped to the insides, adding volume and quality to it. She read through the first entries, and the confusion increased. Words popped up that didn't ring any bells.

Wendigo. Skinwalker. Shapeshifter. Banshee. Kelpie. Vampire. Werewolf.

Words that seemed so foreign, and yet she felt, once more trusting her gut, that they should mean something. But she stared blankly at them, for hours, and found…nothing. No bells rung, no fanfare sounded off, no moment of eureka to be had.

The professor left her be for those first few days, coming to a conclusion that letting her sort herself out would probably be more beneficial that fussing or worrying over her. He did, after all, have work to do. For that much, she was grateful to be left to her own devices, which honestly weren't much, since she holed herself away in the small office space he'd allowed her to take over.

But, that quiet peace soon came to an end, when a knock came at the door during one of her searching periods, breaking through the bubble she'd been so encased in for the past several hours. Hurriedly, Lupin yanked the hat sitting on the back of the chair she was sitting on over her head and threw on her coat. At the last second, she paused long enough to sweep up the knives into the depths of the coat's pockets before calling, "Come in!"

The door creaked open and the bespectacled man poked his head in, offering her a smile and a tentative nod her way. His eyes drifted to the items on the desk, before settling back on her face.

"At it again, I see," he commented and she nodded, politely so. He drummed his fingers on the door before clearing his throat. "Well, I came by to let you know that lunch is ready. Phillip's really outdone himself by making a very nice stew." He grinned a little wider. "I swear, if I didn't have him around, I'd probably be back where I was when I _didn't_ have an assistant—working for days on end without stop before collapsing. I'd wake up to the Pokemon I was observing licking my face or sleeping on my back."

He chuckled, albeit nervously, when she stared, barely a crack of a smile pulling at her own lips. He quickly petered out before clearing his throat.

"Why don't you come out and eat with us? We'll be having it outside today. It's very beautiful out. You've been cooped up for days."

"Says the workaholic researcher," Lupin replied dryly, raising a brow at the man. He grinned sheepishly.

"Guilty as charged, and a point to irony, I'll admit. I still stand by my offer. It might do you some good to get out and stretch a little. I know that this room can't be all that comfortable."

Lupin stared, brow furrowing, lips pursing, and she looked back at the table. Finally she sighed, nodded and gathered everything back up and stuffing them one-by-one into her pockets. Pulling herself to her feet, she nodded to the professor and followed him out into a short hallway that quickly extended into a large and open workspace, a vaulted ceiling, a secondary level with an observation deck, a few other doors leading to smaller work rooms. The walls were lined with quietly humming machines and devices that seemed like dormant creatures, waiting for interaction to begin anew for whatever purposes they'd been created for.

They paused at one of the doorways. The door here was automatic and after a quick code was punched into a keypad beside the door, it opened with a soft, pneumatic hiss. Professor Elm motioned for her to follow inside as he stepped through the doorway. Her immediate impression was a playroom or a nursery: the walls were painted a soft, pleasing yellow. The floor had clean carpet lining it and Lupin was almost hesitant to cross from the hard linoleum to the plush material in her scuffed boots. The carpet was littered with toys of varying sizes, shapes, materials. Several were little dolls and one of them was an object of interest between three creatures occupying the floor space in the middle of the room.

She stared, slightly boggled at the creatures. One looked vaguely familiar, although something felt off about its blue scales and red plates lining the backside. It was vaguely reptilian in nature, almost crocodilian even, with the hard long snout, crooked smile, and unblinking yellow eyes as it whipped a rather prehensile tail about behind it. The other two were a little stranger for her to adapt to.

The first was light green, a quadruped, with slightly leathery skin almost in the semblance of a plant, and a large, leaf-like protrusion was sprouting from the top of its head. It was snapping at the doll with a beak-like mouth, clacking it sharply together playfully as it nipped after the toy. She wasn't sure what to make of it, it was the strangest looking one of the three.

The last was a small, furry creature, almost roly-poly in shape, with a long thin snout, short and stubby legs and tiny, warm eyes that were nearly closed, almost like a mole's. The fur was dark in colour, almost black in some lights, with a darkish green tinge in others. Four spots of reddish-tinged fur in perfect circles lined its backside, while pale, short fur lined its belly. Fine, prickly protrusions stuck out its backside, but occasionally, she'd see the flicker of sparks spit up from them, almost as though they would combust given the right amount of friction.

As soon as she and the professor stepped into the room, the play between the three almost ceased completely. Bright eyes turned on him in an instant, before the toy was dropped and forgotten as they toddled closer toward the man bearing the crisp white lab coat with squeals and squeaks of joy.

"Professor!"

"It's the Professor!"

Lupin twitched at the voices, surprised.

_Did they just…?_

The voices, three and distinct, rose to a clamor, overlapping one another to be heard as they crowded the professor. He knelt and they scrambled at the further purchase now available, trying to clamber into his lap. It was a rather quirky sight and it prompted a faint smile from Lupin, despite her awkwardness in being a quiet bystander.

"These are the pokémon that are a part of my research. I focus mainly on the evolutionary stages between the juvenile, adolescent, and mature stages of pokémon evolutions. Why do some take so long to evolve? Why do some take a shorter amount of time? It's all so very interesting. In comparison, say, a Charmander to a Cyndaquil, a Charmander takes longer to grow into its adolescence of a Charmeleon than a Cyndaquil does to Quilava. But, they both evolve around the same rate and level of experience to reach their final stages of maturity as Charizard and Typhlosion, respectively."

Here he motioned to the little roly-poly, mole-creature with dark fur and odd markings. The little creature with its sparking backside glanced at her at last, as though suddenly aware of the audience and snuffled in her direction before sneezing. The other two paused in their pawing at the professor to look at her as well. The green, leafy creature shuddered. The blue crocodilian regarded her with half-lidded, lazy eyes and looked rather unimpressed.

"She smells funny."

The previous shock from moments before plummeted at the comment and she gave the now-named Cyndaquil a dull glare.

"Your backside is a fireworks factory hazard. I wouldn't be talking," she muttered back with as dry a tone as she could muster.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Professor Elm interrupted, looking back at her from over his shoulder. She frowned, glancing at the Cyndaquil, hesitating. She motioned vaguely to them.

"You didn't…hear…?"

"Hear what? I thought I heard you say something, but I couldn't hear over these little guys' squeals. They've got all sorts of energy building up, I swear, they never seem to stop!"

_And I think I've entered the early stages of craziness while suffering amnesia. Better stay hushed for now, or I might actually end up in a looney bin this time around,_ she instantly concluded with a faint smile.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything. Uh. You said something about lunch?"

"Right. Yes, of course. I just wanted to come grab these guys, it's time for their midday meal, as well as their exercise time. We like to let them come out and enjoy some playtime out back. Chikorita here for example needs some ample sun time, being a grass-type, as does Totodile, being cold-blooded."

He straightened as he motioned to the green, leafy creature and then the blue scaled crocodilian. All three began to trail after him toward the doorway and she followed, mindful to not step on any of them. As she followed after them all, she only half-listened to the professor as he continued to prattle on about the other pokémon he's studied and the interest in how some evolve and others simply don't. Her focus was tuned more to the wary looks cast her way by the three pokémon she was tailing, as well as the hushed whispers between them.

Whispers, she observed, that were apparently about her and how she didn't quite smell human.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

She stared at the woman in the reflection in the mirror, her brow furrowing. The reflection twin did the same, a look of intense concentration crossing her features. Lupin's gaze roamed over the eyes first, as they always did: the left was a clear and hot gold, the right was a stormy blue-gray. Her hair was long, dark brown, wavy. The tips, however, were a deep and dark red, almost like blood, which was already chilling enough, but it seemed like a natural colour, no dye job required or needed. She peeled back her lips, just enough to show the pointed tips of her canines: too long and sharp to be considered normal for a human. Her nails were the same, growing in thick, pointed tips if she didn't clip them after a few days. Across the bridge of her nose, and trailing an almost-L shape across her right cheek, was a thin scar, as though made by a blade.

In fact, a good portion of her body was covered in scars, most made, she assumed, by some giant beast that had sunk its fangs and talons into her body for hunting practice. Her back, belly, both shoulders, left forearm, left thigh and right ankle—they all looked like they'd been broken, ravaged or crushed by a large animal. The only other scars that seemed to be made of something else were burns or cuts. Worry gnawed at her gut, making her continue to wonder just what the hell kind of life she'd led, to earn such grievous looking scars across her body. And how could she have _survived_? She wasn't exactly thick or bulky enough to spare room for such brutal attacks.

Her focus, however, finally diverted away from the scars, and settled on the two protrusions sticking out of her head, and her backside. Furry ears, the same mixture of dark brown and deep red, twitched atop her head. The base of where they started on the side of her skull lined up where a regular human ear would start, curved upwards until it formed the outline and base of the ear. They were rather canine in nature, thick and pointed, not small and near-triangular shaped like a cat's would be.

And then there was the tail. Where the tailbone in a human should have ended, hers continued into a soft, but thick and bushy tail. Same as her hair, it was dark brown, tipped in a deep reddish colour. It swayed and twitched and cricked and puffed and she could move it at will, same as the ears. But, half the time, when she wasn't thinking on either of them, they would move accordingly to her mood, making them appear almost vocal in some instances.

…if she allowed anyone else to see, that is. Gut instinct told her to keep things hidden for the time being. Why else had she been wearing the hat and the long coat, if not to hide her unusual features? It was no wonder that the pokémon in Professor Elm's charge were all skittish and wary around her. Well, except for the one or two oddities that didn't seem to give a damn, but still. The majority of them took care to avoid her.

It didn't help that she could smell in the inhumanness of herself as well.

In fact, she could smell quite a lot, and not just herself. The scent of the forest surrounding New Bark Town was brought in from all directions on the breeze. Something new was always on it, and when it came back again, she could recognize it. Flowers, dirt, trees, animals, water; everything. She could tell if there was a river two hundred feet or two miles away from just one whiff on the wind. She could tell if a flock of birds was nearby and she was downwind or if there was a storm coming in from the distance. She could smell the myriad of people living in town, when the wind shifted just right, and pick out the young, elderly, healthy, and sick with a single whiff. It felt new and exciting, yet familiar and old all at once. Natural, even.

_So it's safe to assume I was like this beforehand,_ she reasoned, pushing back on the sink away from her reflection. Her ears gave a twitch and the mirrored doppelganger did the same in reverse. She turned toward the walk-in shower and twisted the knob, allowing the water to start up and get hot. _But this doesn't account for what I am. Just that I'm not…human. Am I one of the monsters in that journal I have?_

She'd read every description inside that thing, from front to back, cover to cover. She knew nearly every line, drawing, sketch, and scribble by heart. The closest assumption she could assume, if she had been the one to write it, was she was one of those…werewolf creatures.

_Super strength, speed, stamina, endurance, senses, healing…just about everything superior to a human. _

The thought made her frown as she stuck her hand into the steady stream of hot water. Tossing the towel around her onto the sink counter, she stepped under it, her muscles already relaxing into mindless putty.

The thought of not being human didn't chill her to the bones, not really. It just confirmed what she already knew. It felt like a fact, and at this point, it certainly qualified as one. The only thing that chilled her at this point, was she couldn't remember everything else_. I have puzzle pieces with no pictures on them. I have them, they're there…they're just blank. Like my brain._

She sighed. _One step at a time._

Maybe she needed more than hours on end staring at objects from her pockets. She'd been entertaining the idea of asking the professor if she could find some work to do around the lab, perhaps acquaint herself more with the pokémon in it. Get them used to her, so that they didn't quiver and whisper and scowl as she passed them by. It was beginning to grate her nerves more than hurt her feelings at this point. And maybe doing something familiar would jog some of her memories.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The next few days were rather…colourful. And eventful. Her memory didn't magically come back. The fears of the pokémon the professor cared for didn't dissipate. But, she did conclude, that there was some progress. There was less tension in the air as the days passed, but it was slow. The pokémon were getting used to seeing her, at the very least. She helped with the meal preparations, and in retrieving them for exercise outside in the afternoon, and then rounding them up in the evening twilight for dinner, the day's last few tests, and then bed.

By week's end, the routine seemed to help in easing the jitteriness and worry, giving her something useful to do. The only break in pattern was when the police returned. They came back to follow up on her, and had brought the physician they had with them the night she'd been found back as well. She was checked out again, asked what she assumed were routine medical questions, although she refused to take her coat or hat off in their presence.

"It…I don't feel comfortable taking it off, it feels…normal," had been her hesitant response when asked why. There were looks exchanged—sympathy, she noted, and it made her stomach churn at the sight—but she wasn't pressed to remove either. But the card was played right; it made them feel like she was recovering, even though that wasn't the case. Far from it.

"Do you remember your name?"

"I found some dog tags around my neck. After you guys left, I mean."

"Can I see them?"

Reluctantly, Lupin removed them, offering them to the awaiting hand of the physician while the police hovered nearby, scribbling in their notepads. Dogs sat at the heels of the officers, coloured a dark, rusty orange with pale, creamy bellies and dark jagged stripes, eyeing her with bright blue eyes. They occasionally wagged their bushy tails when she met their gazes, but otherwise, acted like silent sentinels. The professor and his assistant occasionally popped in to quietly check their progress, but they didn't interfere with what was going on.

The physician looked over the imprinted information, coffee-brown eyes moving back and forth before she smiled at Lupin, and handed them to the officer beside her. He took it, and began recording the information on his pad.

"It seems you were in the military, although I don't recognize the format for these ID tags. Perhaps you came from…Kalos? Or maybe Sinnoh. There's also the Hoenn and Unova regions. I doubt Kanto, we're next door neighbors after all and New Bark Town gets a lot of traffic for trainers moving to and from, although we won't rule any one place out. We can start using the information on your tags, and perhaps get some answers from that. It's possibly you have someone who cares for you put in a missing person's report, if you've been gone for a long time without communicating with them. Perhaps even the military is looking for you."

That didn't sound good. Was she a deserter? She hoped not. Then she remembered the pictures in her wallet, of all those smiling faces, and how none of them seemed familiar to her. Could one of them be missing her? Maybe if she found one of them, they could help her recover what she's lost. Maybe she could remember if she saw them in person, heard their voice…

The physician took advantage of her quiet pause to pull out a white and red ball from the depths of her bag. Lupin eyed it warily before it split open, seemingly of its own accord. A red light burst forth, taking shape beside the physician until a solid form stood beside the seated woman. Lupin's first impression was tall, graceful, and willowy.

Then details began to sink in. The pokémon before her was definitely slim in form, draped in a white, gown-like lower body, the upper body just as willowy and thin and cut out with a minty-green pattern. A single, cherry-red eye stared down at her, the other hidden by long, curling green hair over its face. The pokémon regarded with a cool and quiet gaze, arms hanging gracefully at its side before moving to clasp in front of it as it turned to glance at the physician, awaiting orders.

"This is my Gardevoir, Laila. She usually helps me with some patients who suffer from head trauma. It sometimes helps with those who can't be given usual medical procedures, for whatever reason. In your case, I think this would count." She paused to push back the glasses on the bridge of her nose back up. "I'd take you to the hospital and go through the usual round of testing, but without a medical history, I don't want to risk you having an allergic reaction to something we'd need to inject you with to get our results. For now, this will have to suffice."

The Gardevoir bowed her head in response to the introduction. Lupin returned the gesture.

"So, what exactly does she do?"

"She examines your head for any outside trauma we may not be able to detect and goes from there. I think after a week, however, you'd show signs of any problems and you seem rather healthy, just like you did the night you were found. A little shaken up, but nothing physically wrong with you, it seemed. No nausea, dizziness, blackouts, headaches of any sort, right?"

"Yeah. That's right." Lupin nodded again. She glanced at the officers. They were no longer writing in their notebooks, and the one who still had her dog tags leaned forward long enough to hand them back. Lupin slipped the chain over her head again.

"All right, then. After that, we can look deeper; maybe see what's causing you to not remember. It's not a surefire way to get anything out of that head of yours, but it might help loosen things up. Although, we'll first need your written consent and I have the paperwork with me. I don't want to do anything you don't feel comfortable with. This is, after all, a psychic pokémon we're dealing with. They have to get inside your head to help you, and some people aren't comfortable with somebody in their head like that."

Lupin eyed the Gardevoir warily now, brows creasing slightly in worry. She weighed her options and found she didn't have very many. Slowly, she inclined her head into another nod.

"I won't get answers by sitting on my hands," she admitted. The physician smiled again, nodded in return, and dipped back into the bag she'd brought with her. She produced a clipboard with rustling pages attached to it, but she paused to look at the officers behind her.

"Could you give us some space, please? I'd rather her feel somewhat comfortable without you two looming behind me."

"Of course, Ms. Joan. Just give us a holler if you need us back."

With a whistle to their pokémon, the two turned heel and out of the makeshift office-space-turned-bedroom. Then Lupin was left alone with the physician and her Gardevoir. Lupin took the paperwork from the woman, reading through the policies, conditions, and explanations regarding the procedure beforehand. She paused midway, reading over a passage several times.

"Different types of amnesia…" She lifted her gaze back up from the printed words, fingers rubbing at the pages, twitching to do more than shuffle them about but she wasn't sure what. The pen in her other hand tapped against her leg. "What kinds are there?"

"Several, actually. And they can stem from psychological to physical. Some forms of amnesia can serve as a defense mechanism to deal with a trauma someone has sustained, whether it was the one or the other, or even both. Some have short-term, meaning it's only temporary, and others are long-term, which…could be permanent. But those are just a few. The human brain is a very complex organ and unique to every individual. Your case could very well clear itself up over time. You should always hope for the best."

The woman sounded sympathetic and motherly in a way. It hit her hard, out of nowhere, the wandering thought of what her mother must look like. _Does she miss me? Does she know I'm missing? Is she…is she still alive? _

She had to repress the sudden, vile feeling of nausea that rippled through her core. The Gardevoir beside the physician shifted, training her eye on her and she gave a soft noise of disapproval, moving closer. She raised a hand and placed it on her brow, making a soft humming noise in the back of her throat.

"Mmm. That won't do. Trying to force it won't make it come any quicker," she said quietly, softly with all the concern and warmth she could muster. Which was to say, quite surprisingly, a lot. Lupin felt a warmth spread through her, a relaxation easing the tension in her limbs, and she remembered what Ms. Joan had called Gardevoir: a psychic-type pokémon.

"Laila, not yet, please. She needs to finish signing if she wants to do this."

The Gardevoir nodded and removed her hand. Lupin held that red stare for a few moments longer before dropping her gaze back down to the paperwork. She finished skimming, scribbling her name in looping, jerky letters and passed the forms and clipboard back to the other woman. Then, only then, did she finally nod to the Gardevoir, who moved forward once more. Soft, warm hands brushed her brow again, moving back red-tipped hair from her gaze and settling against her flesh.

Hope was all she had at this point.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	3. Chapter Two: Lost Touch

**Chapter Two:  
Lost Touch**

****_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3****

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_You don't say much  
You don't say any more than you have to  
Have you lost touch  
With the ones you adore and sought after, yeah  
And you don't know why  
_**-"**_**Some Kind of Home**_**" by Thriving Ivory**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

It was nearly dusk by the time everything was completed. Disappointment lingered like a bad taste in her mouth. It was enough to make her need to get out of the pokémon lab, the first time since she'd first set eyes on the place. It was heavy and oppressing, a prison she needed to escape, even if only for a short while. She didn't have anywhere else to go, even in spite of the offer from Ms. Joan to place her in a more comfortable, semi-permanent halfway house until she could either be identified or helped back onto her feet.

The offer had been tempting, but at the same time…

Well…suffice to say, it was declined, regardless of the good intentions. After the police had left with polite nods, terse instructions and a genuine goodwill with the physician, the air seemed to grow tight and heavy as the minutes ticked by. She managed to wheedle an excuse to finally wander New Bark Town, although it wasn't to completely and pointlessly shuffle about streets. She was, after all, giving her services to the professor in exchange for room and board.

The closest he had to a task in town for her was shopping to restock the lab's supplies. That seemed easy enough.

Lupin spent most of her time outside getting the lay of the land. The town, in spite of its small size, was a central hub for traveling trainers making their way to and from Kanto. There was a small pokémon clinic with the simplest of necessities. There was a pokémon department store next door with all the needed accessories and supplies a trainer would need or want in order to continue to the next town over. Several other businesses catered to other pokémon services, such as grooming or treats, although Lupin was looking for more human-based services at this point.

Or, well…human-ish services, in her case.

She found the food mart after passing the clinic a second time, satisfied that she could pinpoint where to go if she needed something other than food.

_But why would I need to know where everything is? I don't plan on going anywhere else._

The thought suddenly struck her odd almost as soon as it came to her. She paused mid-step, staring blankly at the aisle wall, hand dropping to her side.

_Why would I stay here? _

The juxtaposition of the situation felt like she had abruptly hit a brick wall at full speed running. Why would she stay? Why should she go? If someone is looking for her, wouldn't it benefit staying? But what if they weren't? What if someone knew her but didn't know she was missing? Finding them while figuring out who she was should be priority, shouldn't it?

Now she was wishing she had shown the pictures in her wallet to the police. Perhaps they could have done a multiple search: for her identity, and perhaps the identity of the others. More questions, even fewer answers. She sighed heavily, plucking the box of noodles off the shelf before her and tossed it into the basket. She lingered in the store, slowly going through the list before making it to the checkout counter. She glanced at the list the professor had given her, tucked it in her pocket and plucked an additional task list that Phillip had passed along to her from her pocket.

She read through the list, which was rather short, sweet, and to the point. Turning on her heel, she double-backed to the pokémon supply mart. _Should've done this before hitting the food mart_, she thought, although as she slipped in through the door when she arrived, realized it wasn't as bad as it had been earlier. Although, to be fair, it'd look even less crowded if pokémon didn't litter the aisles alongside their trainers.

She gave pause a three-headed, dusty-brown bird poking its head over one of the aisles. It watched her and two other people in different places with beady eyes. Lupin mock sneered at the head facing her and it puffed its feathers up, clacking its beak indignantly with a squawk. She snickered and headed for the counter, where one of the workers ushered her forward when his customer finished up.

She handed the list over, mentioning she was coming from Professor Elm's lab. Immediately, recognition lit up his face and he waved a hand to her.

"Of course, it's that time again. Every two weeks, Professor Elm has us order items in bulk for his research pokémon. Are you a new intern?"

"Intern? Oh. Oh, um…I guess you could call me that. I kinda just…showed up one day."

It was somewhat true, to a point. He leaned forward on the counter, smiling at her.

"You passing through town and looking for work? Is that all it is?"

"Not really. I just…needed a place to stay, so I'm doing some chores around the lab and getting some knowledge about the…here. Johto. I'm working it out with the professor right now. Um…about that order. Do I need to pay now or…?"

He sighed, pushing away from the counter, running his hand through his thick hair. "Payments are made upon delivery, which will be in a few days." He paused, lips quirking again. "I'm guessing if I was straightforward and honest about asking you out, you'd say no, wouldn't you?"

Lupin had to focus on keeping her ears from rustling beneath her hat. They were tempted to pin against her head, possibly skew her hat's position over her head. She cleared her throat and shook her head instead. "Sorry, I'm not really—no. No, I'm not. Interested, that is."

Another smile, this one accompanied by a good-natured shrug and a wink. "Can't say I didn't try. Say hi to Professor Elm and Phillip for me. We'll have your goods delivered in a few days for those hungry pokémon."

She took her leave after that, toting with her all the groceries she'd bought. They seemed to weigh nothing at all, although her thoughts were another story altogether. The trip into town had done some good in distracting her, but now she had no town to occupy her attention. Her idle mind kept retreating back to the empty results that had taken place after the physician and her Gardevoir had tried pushing past the mental block in her head. No matter the pushing, prodding, or coaxing inducted by the Gardevoir yielded any positive results. It was a solid blackness, Laila had finally determined, one that she couldn't intrude on or it might risk harming Lupin further.

"It's up to you to either overcome it or…adapt around it. It will depend on how deep the trauma you suffered has gone. There isn't much else I can do except offer my condolences and to wish you good luck in that endeavor." Laila had remarked with a bowed head and closed eye. She sounded so sincere and genuine, but it didn't make Lupin feel any better.

It had left the physician disappointed and remorseful with the lack of results. It left Lupin feeling hollow, lost and full of resentment toward whatever forces in the world had decided to do this to her.

A sudden squeal of pain and something lumpy writhing under her boot alerted her back to her surroundings. A sharp pain in her ankle triggered a knee jerk reaction to kick out at whatever had sunk into her flesh. The pain was sharp but brief and she stumbled backwards with a yelp that quickly grew into a snarl. She felt her tail puffing up beneath her coat, and her ears flared against her skull, shifting her hat crookedly. She searched the ground with a venomous glare, ready to sic her contempt on whatever had decided to attack her.

An insult and a curse had lined itself up against the backs of her teeth, loud and abrasive and aimed to hurt as much as her foot was ready to crush down on the offender. But, everything was swallowed back down and lodged itself in her throat, choking her for a split second.

"What—what?! _You_—! You're supposed to be up at the lab!"

Curled up on the side of the road and eyeing her with cold, yellow eyes was the professor's Totodile. His back was slightly arched, making the crimson back plates flare and seem like they were spiking higher than normal, the tips of his front paws balancing his upper body to a near-upright position. His nostrils flared and the blue of his scales glinted in the dying sunlight, giving it a rather startling and dramatic effect. They weren't incredibly shiny, but neither were they a dull matte colour.

"And _you_ were supposed to be outside with us this afternoon. It's rude to establish a routine and then up and leave like that. Oh, what do you have? Can I see, let me see. I've been waiting out here for over an hour, I'm starved! I missed dinner."

Then with a single push, the Totodile was up on his thick hind legs, shuffling forward with surprising agility toward the bags dangling in Lupin's hands. He sniffled loudly and nearly snapped one apart with his crooked, sharp teeth if she hadn't lifted them out of his reach at the last second. His forearms wriggled in front of him, pawing at the empty air and up towards the bags.

"What in the hell were you waiting for me for? What if a car ran you over, or somebody decided to-to—"

"To what? Battle me? I can take anyone on and anything they throw at me," he snorted indignantly and clacking his jaws together. She glowered, not entirely believing she was having this conversation. _I'm insane. I hit my head and I've gone insane. I inhaled too much water, killed my brain, now I'm hearing voices that aren't possibly real coming out of the mouths of these—these things! _

He was clawing at her pant leg now, trying to clamber up her to reach the bags and on top of that, was making squeaking whines. "C'mon, gimme! I'm hungry!"

She sighed, half in aggravation, half in defeat. "We'll be back at the lab in ten minutes if we start walking now. Come on."

"I'm too hungry to move. I might starve before then. Carry me!" He gave her that crooked crocodile grin, eyelids lowering to give her a leering expression, rolling onto his side.

She scowled again. "You lazy reptile. I don't have time for this. My hands are full."

"Please?"

"You should've thought about that before you wandered out here." She paused, raising a brow at the blue-scaled reptile. "And I thought you could handle anything."

"Hunger is my one weakness. The cons of being cold blooded. Slow metabolism." He snorted sharply, rolling back onto all fours. "Please carry me? It's getting cold. I don't move as well in the cold."

She watched him with narrowed eyes, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "Manners. That's a start." She sighed and kneeled, lowering her shoulder closer toward him. "Climb on. I really don't want to put all this down. And no, you can't have anything until we get to the lab. I'll make you something before bed."

"Fair enough, I suppose. Maybe I'll put in a good word to the professor for you when we get back to the lab." He remarked with another pointed sniff as he shuffled forward and hauled himself onto her shoulders. She winced at his sharp claws, but straightened up without a word of complaint and lurched forward back down the way she had been going.

"He doesn't seem to understand you."

"Not in words, no." He replied against her cheek. She tilted her head just enough to find one large yellow eye staring back at her. "But _you_ do. Not many people can understand pokémon like you do. Some can, or so I've heard, but you're the first I've come across who can. It's uncommon."

The Totodile paused long enough to let out a sharp breath through his nostrils. "But you're not like most people. You don't smell human."

She didn't say anything and put her gaze back on the road. A soft rattling sound sounded off on her shoulder. _Is he…laughing?_

"I'm not going to tell. Although the other two are scared of you." She felt a hard mouth poke at her neck. "You don't smell like any pokémon I've encountered before. What are you exactly? And why're you posing as a human?"

"I'm…not a pokémon," she replied vaguely. "But I'm not…human either. It's…complicated."

"Did you forget what you were?" He sounded rather curious and a bit…sympathetic. It surprised her and some of her mild resentment to his earlier behavior melted away.

"Kind of."

"Well, you _did_ inhale a lot water from the lake. I was the one who pulled you out. I didn't even need any help."

She could practically feel him swelling with pride on her shoulder. He'd puffed himself up by balancing against her shoulder on his front legs. His back legs clung to the back of her shirt while his tail—which was surprisingly prehensile and she didn't think it possible in a reptile—curled across her shoulders for counterbalance. He must've looked all sorts of proud, she mused, and it did bring a faint grin to her lips. Arrogant and cheeky little guy. He was young, though. Childish, in some ways. But the professor did say that a Totodile was the juvenile stage for a Feraligatr, whatever that was.

"I didn't smell any blood. You didn't hit your head, I don't think. So why did you forget? There was a human doctor there earlier today, right? She was helping you."

"It's…she said it's complicated. I could have amnesia from…any number of things. Psychological shock or physical trauma. I could remember everything soon or…remember nothing, ever again. I'd never know who I am again. Not…not unless I meet someone who knew me and can help."

"So why don't you?"

"It's complicated," she replied.

"What's so _complicated_ about finding someone you know? Can't you smell your nest-mates? Just go sniff them out and have them help you."

"It doesn't work like that—this world is…it's pretty big. And I…wouldn't know where to start. Or who to look for. I just…have faces in pictures. No names. No addresses."

"Sounds like a personal problem."

She stopped in her tracks and snarled. She wished she could drop the burdens in her hands to pluck the little pokémon off her shoulder and make him walk the rest of the way. "Okay, look you scaly little brat. Here's the thing: I'm not staying at the lab, I _do_ intend to go on my merry way and you'll never have to see me again. So until then, I want you to zip it and leave me be to figure things out. Starting now."

Her outburst, while she would admit she could have handled it better, seemed to have the desired effect. For a few minutes, up until the pokémon lab was in sight, the Totodile was silent, save for his raspy breathing. When they reached the door and she opened them to enter, only then did he speak. "I was only asking because I'm intrigued by you not being pokémon or human. I wasn't impressed. Don't mix the two up."

Tension coiled in his little body a split second before he leapt from her shoulder and landed inside the doorway with all the grace of a cat. Once more, she was dumbstruck, the immediate impression of 'should be impossible' stamping itself at the forefront of her thoughts. The water pokémon glanced back at her with those bright yellow eyes and snorted.

"If you're looking to leave soon, let me know. I might just go with you, since the other two are too scared to come near you except around mealtime. But I'm only offering because I know the professor would worry, since you don't seem to have any pokémon of your own. Could be dangerous out there without any. Human or not."

His rattling laughter echoed into the confines of the lab as he waddled inside, leaving Lupin with the groceries still in hand.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"He did _what_?"

Phillip Armstrong stared at her, rather incredulous as he peeled away some of the groceries from her hands to place on the counter. His mouth was gaping as he whipped his head to look over his shoulder, as though expecting to see the offender of his searching gaze.

"Yeah, I guess Totodile decided to try and follow me, maybe? I found him less than a mile down the road, though. He seemed rather…miffed."

He raised a dark eyebrow at her, lips pursing as he turned back toward the groceries.

"That's unusual. None of the pokémon have ever done that before. In fact, they've all been acting a little strange lately, ever since you arrived."

"I'm an anomaly in their routine. I'm also a new face. They're probably still getting used to me," she responded automatically, thinking back on Totodile's words. _They're afraid of me, that's why. I don't smell right to them. _

"Maybe. It takes some pokémon longer than others to adjust to new faces. Although Totodile seems to be taking a liking to you." He smiled, as though that was the greatest thing in the world to notice. Lupin avoided his gaze, busying herself with stocking the fridge with the colder items.

"I don't think he's taking much of a shine to me. He bit my ankle the minute he saw me before squealing at me like he was cursin' me out."

The smile dropped and a dumbstruck expression painted his face now.

"…huh."

"Yeah. Might wanna rethink your statement," she remarked back, stuffing in a gallon of milk into the fridge before tossing the white plastic bag onto the counter. She turned back to the counter to pull out the various meat packages to stuff into the freezer. She omitted the part where she did step on him, but even if she hadn't, she doubted the blue-scaled reptile would have been any less rude.

"Well, regardless, I'll have to let the professor know. He was very worried when he couldn't find Totodile after they were let out this afternoon. I'm glad he's all right, though."

She hummed back, a noncommittal response. It wasn't that she didn't agree. She was still stinging from his sharp little words, and it made her skin crawl with how uncomfortable she felt in it. She wasn't a whole person, not with how empty her head was.

_Stupid reptile. Just ignore him, he's a rude little fucker_, she finally settled for with a scowl as she finished with one of the last bags. Listening to whatever he had to say wasn't going to fix her situation. That much was for sure.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	4. Chapter Three: Direction

**Chapter Three:  
Direction**

****_Disclaimer_: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how **Pokémon** look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3****

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_Where is the end, is the edge of understanding?  
I might think it's overrated or can't take the mind expanding  
Give me a pint, a little push in one direction  
I might need a little help with my own interconnection_  
**-"**_**What's in the Middle**_**" by The Bird and the Bee**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"How can you stand wearing that coat? It's so hot out!"

Lupin peeped her eyes open at the voice, seeing Phillip approaching to her left. She cleared her throat, sitting up a little more in her seat, adjusting the coat to cover her tail a little more. She'd had too many close calls and had resorted to wearing it all the time now. It didn't help that the damned thing was kind of big, either.

"I don't really feel the heat getting to me. Feels nice out," she replied back. She shifted her gaze out to the open field around them. Behind the lab, there were fences and corrals to keep the pokémon from wandering or running off by accident, but plenty of wide open spaces, courses, and even trees to romp about in. Several trainers who had gotten starters from Professor Elm tended to send their pokémon to the lab when they weren't boxed, mostly for his study. It helped the pokémon, their trainers, and the professor and his assistant in their research. Or that's what Lupin's been told. It seemed like a rather beneficial circle.

She took a mental account of all the pokémon that had been sent outside for the day—including the professor's study pokémon—and noted they were all there, just like they were there fifteen minutes ago, and fifteen minutes before that.

The watch had been tightened since Totodile's impromptu escape from a few days ago, and today Lupin was keeping an eye on things. She kept an especially watchful eye on the blue-scaled pokémon. Occasionally, she'd catch him watching her just as sharply. She sometimes wanted to smack that little crooked grin off his smug snout—if she could, that is.

Her hands twitched and fiddled with a book in her lap, the pages rustling. For once, she had decided not to drag her journal—who else could it be but hers?—out for the day, and instead forced herself to choose something else. It was one of many books that was lying around the lab, and she hadn't really read the cover when she grabbed it. Nor had she really been reading, but she figured getting her mind off things should be priority. At least, that's what she was _trying_ to do, anyway.

"So, everything going good out here, nothing unusual, I hope?"

"No, not really. Some wild bird pokémon flitting around, but they aren't attacking or anything. Which is good, I guess?"

"As long as they're not Spearow. Pidgey we don't have to worry too much about. They occasionally come by and play with the others, but Spearow are a little more aggressive. I'd be more worried from an attack by them."

Lupin thought for a moment, mind working on registering the names and faces together: Spearow, a mean-looking little bird with rusty red, brown and black feathers and Pidgey, a little cream-and-brown feathered bird with a gentler nature. She had noticed flocks of the former, although none ever came too close to the lab. They tended to stay closer toward the forest not far from New Bark Town, although some individuals roamed about here and there. Pidgey, on the other hand, were opportunistic little buggers, and were _everywhere_.

Her fingers continued to rub along a page she had pinched between them. It gathered the taller man's attention and he glanced down, grinning. "Reading something new, I see. What is it? '_Battle Tactics for the Beginning Trainer_'…" He paused, rubbing his chin. "That reminds me…the police called the other day."

Lupin stiffened, tilting her head to look up at him. She waited for him to continue. Her patience paid off.

"The information they said they'd gotten from your dog tags…they don't match the format of any known military unit in any region. Looks like you're just wearing personalized tags. And…unfortunately, it looks like no one's put in any missing persons report out for you. I'm sorry, I meant to tell you the other day, but the professor and I got engrossed in our work."

She felt her stomach slithering lower into her abdomen in disappointment. That sour taste in the back of her mouth returned, the same from the day she had had no luck with Ms. Joan and her Gardevoir. Phillip sighed, reaching up to run a hand through his dark hair, a frown pulling his lips down as he regarded her apologetically. Lupin didn't meet his gaze and instead, dropped it to the words scattered across the book she had been trying in vain to read.

"It doesn't look like you're even a registered trainer. No name, no facial recognition, nothing's popping up. So you don't have a license to be a trainer, and you're most likely not an intern or assistant in a lab, either. It…I'm sorry to say, it looks like you're back at square one."

Well, that made her feel even more miserable and she started to shut the book, ready to ask if he could stay and watch the pokémon for the rest of the afternoon. She wanted to be alone, or to wander somewhere, to do anything, to busy herself with anything other than thinking on this news.

"I know I keep saying it, but I _am_ sorry, for bringing you such bad news, but…I do have some good news."

That gave her pause and she dared to lift her gaze back up again to meet his. There was a small smile decorating his lips, one that promised a tiny ray of hope.

"Despite all that's come to light…the professor has put in to register you as a junior assistant associated with the lab. It just entails to helping out around the lab, working with the pokémon, and occasionally doing errands or using the pokémon for research. It's temporary, of course, until you find out who you are, I mean."

Well, that _was_ a spot of good news, even if she didn't quite get it. _You have to have a license to handle pokémon…? _

"Of course, you can only handle the pokémon if it's for the lab. If you want a trainer's license, you'd need to go to Violet City, where the schoolhouse is. Every course is about three weeks long, and they're always going on. Most people go through when they're children, that way they're registered beforehand and don't have to be delayed in getting their pokémon for their journeys, whatever they may be," Phillip continued, as though taking cue from her quietness. He hesitated, however, and added, "But…you know this already, don't you?"

Lupin shook her head, feeling a little miffed that she didn't. Should she have known all this? She wasn't sure, she couldn't recall. It didn't sound familiar at all.

"Oh, wow. You really _are_ empty of everything. I mean…I didn't mean it like _that_, just…general knowledge of things, is all I meant." He rubbed at the back of his head, sighing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude and make it sound like you're stupid. I can tell you're intelligent. You get the gist of things rather quickly, but you just seem…so lost on a lot. Like pokémon, in general."

"Maybe a visit to that schoolhouse would be favorable for me in the future, then." She said with a sigh, glancing up at the romping pokémon, taking a mental account of everyone, then nodded, satisfied that they were all there.

"Maybe. You wouldn't be able to battle any gym leaders in the future if you did choose to leave."

"Gym leaders?"

For some reason, her mind conjured up the image of a body builder hefting weights at the words 'gym leader'.

"Elite trainers who own battle arenas that tailor to a specific pokémon type, such as fire or water or grass. There are eighteen pokémon types, and not all of them are singularly devoted to just one element. Some are duel-types, such as dark and fire, ice and psychic, or grass and poison. So on and so forth. Just recently, the fairy type was discovered, helping even out the list from seventeen to eighteen. A few pokémon have been identified under this category, and I'm sure there are plenty more out there. Whitney, the gym leader over in Goldenrod City, was rather ecstatic, although she's kept her original title as a gym leader of normal types. Shame, really, she could have become the first fairy-type gym leader known worldwide."

Phillip chuckled, although Lupin's rather neutral expression remained largely the same. She looked back down to the book in her lap, before noticing a pair of eyes watching her from the ground beside her feet. She jumped in surprise, the pages in her book fluttering as she was met with the crooked little grin of Totodile. He pushed himself to his hind legs, cocking his head at her, yellow eyes gleaming in the sunlight.

"You—go away. Go play. Shoo." She scowled when he didn't move. Phillip laughed beside her.

"Hey, there, Totodile. Sneaky thing, aren't you? Don't get used to it. One day you'll evolve into a Feraligatr. Won't be so easy to sneak around being a giant blue lizard. Well, except for maybe in lakes and rivers, that is. As long as they're not too murky or muddy. Blue doesn't work too well against brown."

"Crocodilian," Totodile corrected, although Phillip didn't seem to hear or understand. Lupin resisted the urge to pin her ears against her head. It would only skew her hat and she was surprised she hadn't done so sooner with Phillip. Totodile shuffled closer, sticking his snout up against her hand, the book, snuffling pointedly. "What're you reading? Show me."

"You rude thing, back off." She scowled again, pulling her book out of his reach. He gave a reptilian glower aimed at her and snapped his jaws in displeasure. She narrowed her mismatched eyes at him, not daring to flinch under that gaze.

"Easy, there, Totodile, you've got sharp teeth. You don't want to bite her by accident. C'mere, you rascal," Phillip said, circling around the chair Lupin was seated at to pick up the pokémon. Totodile let out a long-suffering sigh as Phillip lifted him up. "You don't mind him sitting with you, do you? He seems to be the only one not overly skittish when it comes to you lately."

Lupin was tempted to say no, but swallowed it back down in a hurry and instead shook her head. He'd never leave her alone if she simply tried avoiding him. She lifted her book out of the way and the reptile was lowered onto her lap. He immediately curled up, settling comfortably and she lowered back down the book and flipped the cover for him to see.

"'_Battle Tactics for the Beginning Trainer_'. Do you plan on battling other trainers someday?" He tilted his head to glance at her, a sly look in those yellow eyes. She caught a glimpse of red in there too, a bright crimson colour. His sclera was what was yellow, then. Not his iris. She had mistakenly thought it all yellow with a black iris. It was a startling contrast.

She kept quiet at his inquiry, however, flipping the cover back down and to the page she had been previously trying to finish. He seemed to get the message, almost as soon as the silence continued to drag on without answer. He snorted, as though annoyed, but said nothing further. Phillip didn't stay much longer and soon left with a quiet goodbye, and a reminder that it was almost time to start corralling the other pokémon back inside. She gave a noncommittal response in return, knowing she had roughly over an hour left of daylight.

"You didn't answer my question," he finally stated after Phillip was gone. "Do you plan on battling someday?"

He was watching her, no longer pretending to be interested in the book in her hands. She sighed.

"I plan on traveling around, yes. I doubt I'm going to get very much headway staying here at the lab, however nice the perks have been. Shelter, food, a job. If someone I know is elsewhere and they don't know what's happened, I'll need to leave and find them."

"Do you plan on travelling alone, then? It seems like that's the way you were when we found you. You had no pokémon on you and even if you did…it'd be illegally so." He made that soft rattling laughter in the back of his throat. "I overheard that there's been no leads with the police. You're a female with no name, no face, no license. You'd need to get that license to travel more fully than on an assistant lab tech's permit."

"Quit trying to invite yourself. I'm not taking you. Or any of the others. If I was traveling alone without any Pokémon, I must have had a good reason."

_If I'm not human, than that alone must've been good reason. Alone, I can probably take care of myself._

Her thoughts were punctured through like a hot knife through butter by the rattling laughter and shaking body in her lap. "Do you expect me to believe you'll fight off wild Pokémon on your own? With what, your bare hands? You don't smell human, but you certainly look it. A flock of Spearow would eat you alive if they had a mind and taste for it. You're tiny for a person, but poison type pokémon are tinier. A Spinarak or Weedle would stab you in the foot and you'd never know it until you collapsed from its poison, too far from medical centers to get help."

He regarded her with those glimmering, sunlit-struck eyes and the crimson set in gold seemed to burn brighter now. That crooked jaw seemed to grow even more crooked, white teeth sticking out sharply and she knew if she touched them, they'd break skin, calloused or not.

"You'll need someone who isn't afraid of you. You look human, but you don't smell it and most pokémon will be able to tell right on the spot after a good whiff of your scent. A trainer's pokémon might be polite about it and pretend everything is all right, for the most part. But a wild one will attack because you're a threat. You'll need a mediator between them and you. You _need_ me."

His words rang and echoed in her ears and skull, rattling about until their comprehension smacked her hard like a sucker punch to the gut. Her brows drew up into a scowl, teeth clenching into a tight grimace as she peeled her lips back and she knew—she knew—he saw the flash of her fangs. Fangs too big for a small mouth like hers, too big for a human but she saw nothing in those cold eyes, no flicker of fear or anxiety to account for. Just curiosity.

"I do not need _you_. I do not need _them_," she stabbed at the field where the pokémon romped and played for emphasis, her words coming in short hisses. She stood suddenly, book in hand, Totodile tumbling to the ground and landing on his side. He made an offended croaking noise, tail whipping like an agitated cat's would. She picked up the folded lawn chair she'd brought out, snapping it shut and tucking it under her other arm. "When I go, it will be alone. If I was alone when you found me, it was for a reason. I might not remember, but it must've been a damned good one, especially if it spared me the rudeness of little brats like you for traveling company."

She felt those reptilian eyes on her backside as she started for the lab, the grass plush and soft under her boots, but she barely noticed how well-kept and manicured the lawn was. She could only feel the heat of embarrassment rising up in her at having allowed the sneaky little Totodile get under her skin. But she kept telling herself what she'd told him as well: _I was alone for a reason. _

The only thing she couldn't figure out, the frustrating thing she couldn't remember was why had she been alone in the first place?

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

True to Phillip's word, Professor Elm had indeed registered Lupin for an assistant lab researcher's permit. It came three days after he'd told her. It allowed her to officially represent Professor Elm's lab, his research, and more importantly, handle his pokémon. Of course, others were allowed the same rights, but they were all registered as trainers. Children who were on the cusp of gaining their licenses via the schoolhouse in Violet City would either gain pokémon from their parents or, alternatively, gain a starter from Professor Elm.

"Not every trainer starts out with a Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander in Kanto. And the same can be said of beginning trainers in Johto. They don't all start with a Chikorita, Totodile or Cyndaquil. Some start with a Meowth or Growlithe, or Eevee, Marill, Caterpie, Pidgey or Sentret, so on and so forth. Some inherit pokémon from their parents. Other times, parents get a friendly pokémon specifically tailored to small children, to indoctrinate them at an early age before giving them full responsibility of that pokémon. Other times, they're sent here to pick out a starter."

Lupin was only half-listening as she distributed food into bowls for the nightly feeding, although she nodded as the Professor continued.

"And not every trainer is out to challenge the League over at Indigo Plateau. Not every trainer is interested in collecting gym badges. Some are more interested in day care programs for pokémon, breeding them, or raising them specifically for certain lifestyles, like gardening, livestock and dairy, or even for research purposes." He laughed and she glanced over her shoulder to see his pointed, yet kindly stare. She turned back to finishing up filling the bowls before stowing the food away in the cabinet with a faint nod.

"Does everyone who travels have to have pokémon?" She queried.

He frowned at her, hesitating before answering as he joined in picking up bowls to help with the feeding. "Not necessarily. But why would someone travel without pokémon?"

"Personal choice?"

"It'd be very dangerous, but…I don't think it's completely farfetched. Pokémon and humans have lived side by side for thousands of years. The relationship between the two has become a symbiotic one; we aren't completely and utterly dependent on them or them on us. I'm sure we could do well on our own without them, and vice versa. But it would make it incredibly difficult without the helpfulness that they provide in our daily lives," he finally admitted.

There was a pause in the conversation as they dropped off the first bowls for the group of pokémon: first the Professor's lab pokémon, who shied away from Lupin, except Totodile. He shuffled forward on his hind legs, regarded her with those yellow and crimson eyes, gave off his rattling laugh and dipped his snout into the bowl without a word. The others only approached after she stepped away, albeit warily and watching her with sharp, mistrusting eyes. She turned back to the workbenches, where the rest of the bowls were.

"Come to think of it, _you_ were alone when I found you. No pokéballs, no pokémon, nothing whatsoever. Just the clothes on your back and what you had in your pockets. It's all very strange." Professor Elm frowned deeply, brow furrowing as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. He turned heel to follow the woman back to the workbench.

"Maybe it was for a reason?" _I was alone, alone for a reason, but for _what_ reason, and why?_

"Perhaps…but maybe something had happened to your pokémon. Something happened to you, that's for sure, and I don't think it's just the amnesia. There're no records of you anywhere, or so I'm being told. Maybe somebody deleted your records, or they're withholding them."

_That_ was certainly conspiracy theory-worthy. It did make her pause in picking up the next set of bowls, but it was brief and barely noticeable.

"Or maybe I fell out of the sky," she joked. A beat passed and the professor laughed.

"Of course. Perhaps you were riding on the back of an ancient and rare pokémon that had plucked you up from some unknown land and dropped you here and stole away your memories," he retaliated teasingly in kind. It helped ease the tension somewhat, dissipating the myriad of bad theories and thoughts that were beginning to form.

They finished feeding the pokémon and afterwards, corralled them back into their respective quarters to sleep the night away. When the last of them was safely put away, Lupin made for her makeshift room, bidding the professor goodnight.

Behind the relative safety of a closed door, she peeled away the leather coat she'd been wearing for a majority of the day. It was soft and supple, but durable enough to withstand wear and tear. It looked like it had endured plenty of it over what she could only assume several years' worth. Her tail cricked and swayed, the muscles in her back feeling stiff from forcing it to remain still for a majority of the day. She knew the coat wasn't completely foolproof, of course. The tail could be spotted from between her legs from the front, but for all people could know, the coat could be furry on the inside. Or something. Nobody's made mention of it yet.

Maybe they even thought it was some sort of tail-hitched-to-back-of-pants fetish. Whatever worked, she was fine with it. She wasn't going to be particularly picky at this point. She removed her hat next, and her ears stretched and swiveled, pinning to the side of her head, just as stiff from their confinement. Then she started on her daily ritual before bed, grabbing a pair of loose cotton pants and a loose t-shirt, then ducking into the connected bathroom to shower and brush her teeth. It was late when she finally stepped back into the makeshift bedroom. There was a pullout couch in the room, although from the scent of it, it wasn't used very often. Not this one, anyway. There was a more often used one in the professor's office, and another in Phillip's. This was probably used for guests, and the last one…

Well, it's been a long while since guests had stayed, that was for sure.

Slipping under the thick comforter, she curled up, bunching a bundle to wedge between her legs as she rolled onto her side. She sighed, eyes darting around the room as they adjusted abnormally quickly to the darkness of the room. She could make out the edges of the walls, light switch by the door, the desk and its various booklets and paperwork piled on top. If she wanted, she could probably read every word in this darkness without repercussions to her eyesight.

She remembered it being written in the journal that werewolves had perfect night vision. It almost seemed like something out of a fable or a story, and not real life. And yet here was the living evidence: fangs, claws, ears, tail. Great ears, eyesight, nose…

And then there was that whole deal with the full moon.

She hadn't thought of that, and suddenly a panic hit her and she sat up, stumbling out of bed and toward the window and throwing the blinds up. They rattled and beat against one another, one side skewing as she yanked the cord, the other dipping dangerously low. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass, eyes searching for the moon. Already, the stars were glittering coldly in the dark sky, but she could see no moon. It was bright out, though. That meant it was close. It had to be. But she needed to know how close.

She unlocked the window and threw it up before ducking through it. The grass was cool under her bare feet, and the air had a pleasant chill to it, although she paid neither much mind to either. She turned around to face back toward the lab, searching the sky above it and finally spotted the silvery-white disc, bloated and nearly full. Her heart skipped. _Just a few more days. Just a few days and I…_

She shuddered, swallowing thickly. She still found it hard to believe she'd turn into some flesh-eating monster.

_Maybe it's an exaggeration. Maybe it's a metaphor for something else, maybe…_

The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her otherwise.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	5. Chapter Four: News

**Chapter Four:  
News**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how****Pokémon****look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note:_**** Thank you the Anon who reviewed! I'm glad you're liking the story so far!:D I also wish to thank _Doomedsoul74_. I hope that more people get a look at this as well, although there's no guarantee, sadly enough. But, in the meantime, hopefully, I'll continue to live up to expectations of others like you who drop on by and read!**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_So, do you want the good news first or the bad news?"  
"Is the order at all relevant?"  
"You know, people like to get the bad news first so the conversation ends in happiness."  
_**-Booth and Dr. Brennan, "**_**Bones**_**"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

She woke with a start, her heart thundering away in her chest and a cold sweat drenching her. Her limbs were shaking as she sat up while trying to steady her erratic, panicky breaths. It took a minute or two to focus as she stared around the darkened room. A hand flew to grip the side of her head, to run through her sweat-covered hair. Already, whatever it was that had awoken her was gone. It was the same as every night. She knew she had nightmares, of something dark and unnatural and terrifying; she felt that panic and fear every time she woke up, but upon waking…nothing. No trace of what it was, no memory stuck. Nothing was remembered, except that lingering terror that made her gut clench and twist in the pit of her abdomen, and the continuous feeling of unrest.

Swinging her legs over the pullout couch, she tottered toward the bathroom, not bothering to turn on the lights and started up the shower. She stripped clumsily, her hands shaking like leaves in the wind. Finally, she pulled herself into the steady stream of water, tense muscles slowly easing and relaxing as the heat applied itself. She checked her waterproof watch on her wrist and grimaced. Four-thirty in the morning…no way she was getting back to sleep now. She quickly washed up, wondering why she had even bothered with nightly showers when she did the same in the morning after her night terrors woke her. Soon, she felt the shakes and uneasy feeling leave her, and she felt somewhat normal by the time she finished in the shower.

By five, she was dressed and clean, and went to the little kitchenette to eat something, anything, to ease her still roiling stomach. She found some bagels and a tub of cream cheese as a result of her searching. She eased into the makeshift breakfast, not really feeling the urge to cook. By five-thirty, she finished and brewed some coffee and filled a mug for herself. Then she turned to the morning ritual of preparing the pokémon's food bowls.

When six came rolling on by, she was finished filling the bowls and a third of the way with distributing the food to the wary creatures. Phillip made his way into the lab not long after, stretching and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Morning," he greeted with a yawn.

"There's a fresh pot of coffee waiting," she replied, giving a curt nod in return toward the kitchen. His face lit up and he made a beeline for the room with a hurried 'oh thank Arceus'. Her ears gave the faintest twitch under her hat at that, and a question bubbled up at the name '_Arceus'_, although she squirreled it away for later conversation. Another pokémon name, she was sure, but she didn't recognize it. Then again, there were many she didn't recognize. She refocused on the task of doling out the morning food to the pokémon. Professor Elm came hurrying into the lab just as she finished the last of the feedings and was gathering up a few empty bowls.

He was in a hurry, she noted off the bat, anxious and excited and agitated in his movements. Lupin paused to watch his excitement with curiosity plainly painting her face, although the professor didn't seem to notice. Phillip came out of the kitchen bearing two mugs while sipping from one. He came to stand beside Lupin, who was drinking from her own mug that she had brought out with her.

"Is…he okay?"

"He gets like this sometimes. Especially close to presentations."

"Presentations?" She queried back, looking puzzled. Phillip made a soft noise at the back of his throat.

"Ohhh, that's right. You don't know—sorry," he said before clearing his throat. "Professor Elm travels all over to present his research findings every couple of months to different regions, alongside other head researchers and professors. Seminars and conferences, mostly. There's going to be one in Kanto in about a week, so he's been preparing everything since the last one, including new discoveries to his studies. He'll be leaving for Goldenrod tomorrow morning. He'll only be gone for a week, mind you, it's a small conference, so you don't have to worry too much."

"And you?"

"Oh, I sometimes go, when it's necessary. But that usually means finding somebody else to look after the lab and the pokémon, so I don't usually go. Most labs can afford two assistances, but Professor Elm has only had me for the last few years. Hasn't really petitioned to get another assistant. Well, up until you came along of course." He grinned, took another drink and added, "But I'm staying this trip, so you don't have to worry about being here alone. You don't know how to run all the machinery and equipment here in the lab, and I have to be here to monitor them. For example, we have several medical panels that take several days to run for results, and somebody needs to be here when they finish up. We're running several as of right now, otherwise I would have gone if nothing of high importance was pending results."

He shrugged, as though that was the best explanation he could offer. Lupin quirked her lips, but didn't press for further details. So the professor was leaving. That crossed off one less thing to worry about. She still felt a kind of skittishness about Phillip remaining around, however, if…well…

Her thoughts came to a halt when the professor came hurrying over, as though suddenly attuned to Lupin and Phillip's existence in the lab. The first thing Phillip did was offer the mug of coffee, and the professor nabbed it without a word and took a long draft. He drained nearly half of it before sighing in relief.

"Oh, thank you. I needed that. Now. On to business. Phillip, I'll be taking a few of the pokémon with me," he nodded to the taller man. Phillip twitched, suddenly alert to the notion.

"Not the starters, I hope?"

"No, no. I know it's nearing that season again, although this year seems to be very slim pickings. Not many trainers leaving for their journey and needing our starters, I'm afraid. The pokémon might be waiting a little longer than usual, but I'll leave them here, just in case we get an unexpected caller."

Then the professor looked to Lupin. "As for you…I actually have a request for you, if you're up to it, that is."

This piqued Lupin's interest, as well as Phillip's. Catching the other man's inquiring gaze, Professor Elm smiled. "It's Mr. Pokémon again. He's found another intriguing item."

Lupin, understandably, didn't quite comprehend, although from the resigned sigh from Phillip, he did.

"Another 'rare' oddity, I presume?"

"Actually, yes. It's a pokémon egg this time, though," the professor nodded, then glanced back at Lupin and her disquieted gaze and explained, "Mr. Pokémon is merely a nickname our associate's gained over the last several years. His real name's Graham Wardson, but everyone calls him by Mr. Pokémon because, well…he has his eccentricities."

He motioned for the two to follow him to an open workstation across the way from the nursery where the starter pokémon were ambling about in. The other pokémon were in their rooms as well, until afternoon playtime. The only one out and about was Phillip's Meowth, who was rarely seen, except around mealtimes. She didn't care much for playing, so it seemed to Lupin.

Professor Elm booted up the computer and after a few minutes of awkwardly waiting for the system to warm up, he pulled up his email inbox. The most recent email was selected and a quick selection of the attached files showed pictures of an egg, just as he'd said. Lupin stared and Phillip made a surprised noise.

"Is that a _Togepi_ egg? How in the hell did he get his hands on _that_? They're incredibly rare, especially the eggs!"

"That's what I need found out. I need you here at the lab while I'm gone, Phillip, so perhaps if Lupin is up for the task, she could travel to Mr. Pokémon's home and retrieve it."

"That's nearly a week's travel there and another back again, Professor Elm," Phillip said with a hint of reservation in his tone. Lupin ignored it, intent on the photograph on the screen. She leaned forward a little more, to study it. The photograph was a little grainy on the details, but it was clear enough to be identified as an egg, and it was a strange looking one at that. It was largish, a clean and pristine white, with intermittent triangular designs in bright blue and red spotting the eggshell.

"What's a Togepi?" She raised her voice above the two's fervent whispering. The back and forth stopped behind her and she straightened, looking between the two men. Professor Elm cleared his throat.

"Togepi are incredibly rare pokémon. Researchers are rarely afforded the chance to study one up close. We have no clue where they breed or live, only that on very rare occasions, an egg appears, usually among breeders or daycare centers. And this is an equally rare chance to study one. Not many trainers have them to begin with, and are rather protective of them."

Lupin nodded a bit, understanding. Rare pokémon. Got it. She could tell by the tone of his voice and the sudden waft of hormones that he was simple awash in giddiness at the prospect of seeing one. Excited for science, apparently.

She motioned toward the computer screen. "And you wanted me to just…go to this guy's house and pick up the egg?"

"Well…that's the thing. It's almost a week there, and then almost a week back. He lives a ways away. Not—not like in Olivine or Cianwood, no. It's past the next town, Cherrygrove City, but well before Violet City or the Dark Cave. There's a road you can follow pretty much all the way there, so it'd be hard to get lost." He smiled, as though that did sound easy enough. Lupin frowned, a little unnerved, although she tried to keep it off her face. She drummed her fingers against the desk as she leaned on it. Phillip took her extended silence as way of an answer and turned to the professor.

"If you can wait until you get back from your conference, I can go. You shouldn't be sending her out, she—"

"Hey. I'm right here," she interrupted, shooting the other man a peeved look. She hated it when either of them did that. Treating her like she was delicate or wasn't in the same room as them when they talked about her. Phillip closed his mouth with an audible clack of his teeth, looking appropriately abashed at being chastised by the small woman. She sighed, lips pursed. She wanted to know what was going to happen a few nights from now, and she couldn't do that here, not with the professor or Phillip around. If she changed…if there was a risk of being seen…

She finally gave a jerking nod.

"I'll go. I've been feeling cooped up lately. I think maybe…getting out would be good for me, ya know?"

A pensive, thoughtful look crossed Professor Elm's visage for a moment, while Phillip looked uncertainly onward at the young woman. She shot him another warning look. She was an amnesiac, not an invalid. She nearly opened her mouth to say as such, to remind him that she wasn't a helpless child, but the professor cut in quickly before the words could form on her tongue.

"Great! Now, I know I have an extra satchel around here somewhere, you could borrow that—and I can have any supplies you'll need for the trip charged to the lab, just go out in town and get it, you'll be all right. As for a pokémon, I suppose I could lend you one of the starters. Let them get a chance to see a little more of the world—"

Lupin cut him off abruptly with a wave of her hands.

"Whoa, whoa. Hold it. I don't need a pokémon. I can get along fine without one."

The chipper and beaming expression the professor had been exuding crumpled in on itself, replaced by perplexity and worry.

"You found me alone. It probably was for a reason."

"Your team could've been separated from you…" The argument was already down before it could achieve lift. Phillip fell silent at another steely gaze sent his way.

"No records of me. Remember? No team, no identity. And not everyone travels with pokémon. You told me that, professor. I can manage."

"But do you even know how to survive in the wild if you got lost?"

"Boil water, don't burn green stuff, don't eat weird plants, use the sun as a pinpoint for location. Using a map helps too." It was all off the top of her head, but she felt a familiarity with the prospect of camping in the woods. Besides, she had more power to her senses, more range and strength to rely on. She doubted she could get lost _that_ easily.

"I'm an amnesiac, not an invalid," she finally stated, the words suddenly booming back to the forefront of her mind. "I can handle myself. You said it yourself, there's a road that I can follow. I doubt wild pokémon jump on the main path looking for a fight."

"You'd be surprised," Phillip muttered, although from the look on his face, he could already see nothing he had to say would affect her decision. The professor reflected this, but he looked…worried. More so than she would have liked.

"If you think you can handle it…I mean, you _did_ come tumbling out of the mountains, and if you're right about it, you came out alone. And that's pretty rough territory. I don't understand why you'd want to do it by yourself, but you must have had your reasons, and…you must've been good enough to avoid being attacked by wild pokémon in that mountain range without pokémon of your own. They're very powerful, so it is rather impressive…"

_It probably helps not being a human,_ Lupin thought impassively, only giving him a quiet nod. But it did add another question to the growing list: why would she be roaming the mountains alone? Another question she had no answers to. She sighed, downing the last of her coffee, then started for the kitchen.

"I'll go to the store now, if that's all right. I'd like to make use of all the daylight I have and get some headway."

"Of course. I'll have to find that satchel, but it'll be waiting for you when you get back."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

It was midmorning by the time Lupin returned, laden with supplies she had charged to the lab's tab—although she kept things on the simple side and didn't go for the most expensive items. If she left the lab for a more permanent extended period of time, she could upgrade later on. Phillip was attending to the pokémon while the professor was compiling all his research for travel when she got back. She eyed the various creatures that skittered about the main floor of the lab, but some stopped to stare beadily at her. She froze at their stares, a brief falter in her steps, before skirting around them. She felt their eyes on her as she moved to a more secluded section of the lab, placing her gear on an empty work table.

Phillip paused in his activities, giving her a faint nod, then motioned to the professor's office.

"He's found the satchel. Pretty sturdy looking thing. Might want to start packing if you want to get out of here by noon." He hesitated, then added, "You don't have to go."

"I want to go. I'll be fine."

From the tension in his frame, the knitting of his brow, and the way he pursed his lips, she could tell he didn't quite believe that. On a certain level, she could understand. She wasn't exactly the average person. She didn't know who she was, or where she'd come from, and it might have affected her judgment to a point. What she might have been confident and well learned in, she might not have that in her current state.

But to have doubt lingering in the air was like allowing poison to remain. It left a bad taste in the back of her mouth. She felt a small amount of guilt for worrying the two, but at the same time, she didn't want to be babied and fussed over. She wasn't a child, far from it. From the dog tags and her birth date coinciding with the current one, she was in her early thirties. She could hardly call herself defenseless. Maybe she was a little clueless on some of the inner workings with the world at the moment, to be honest, but not completely and utterly incompetent. She could figure things out.

She offered a meek smile, trying to look reassuring and she waved a hand at him, as though to dispel those doubts and worries. Phillip paused as he stooped toward the ground, Chikorita tumbling toward him, although the little creature kept a leery eye on Lupin."If I run into trouble, I'm sure I can smoke signal you guys. Trust me. I think a few days out and about would benefit me more than staying cooped up or wandering around town. Besides…that guy at the Pokémart keeps hitting on me. I dunno if he's joking or being serious anymore."

Recognition lit up in Phillip's eyes as he straightened, cradling the little Chikorita in his arms. She nuzzled against him, somewhat content. "What, Gabe? He's harmless. He does the same to me when I make pickups or orders."

"Oh. I…was honestly not expecting that." She blinked, a little taken aback, but she calmed. Okay, she could roll with that. Phillip laughed, patted Chikorita gently on the head and set her back down to let her go traipsing off after Cyndaquil and Totodile. A Granbull, Pidgeotto, and Sentret trio watched from nearby, calm and relaxed. Phillip's Meowth, Jewel, soon joined the three, quiet and slinky, eyes half-closed in a lazy manner.

"Yeah, Gabe's quite a character, but he's pretty harmless. He flirts with any new face that comes his way, but he generally doesn't make any real moves on anyone who doesn't reciprocate. Says it 'goes against his code' or something of the sort. You're not the first, you won't be the last," Phillip explained, coming over to eye the parcels that Lupin had slowly been unpacking as they spoke.

He sifted through one or two items, but largely remained quiet about her choices. He did pause at a book she had picked up while at the store, and a thin, wry smile lifted his lips up.

"You say you don't have any interests in taking any pokémon with you, but you snagged a book about them."

"I'd rather have an idea of what's out there. Better to know what you're facing than running around blindly. I'm not completely inept." She responded, turning to start toward the professor's office. She could hear him rummaging about, making a commotion, and she hoped the satchel didn't get reburied. "I'll finish packing and clean up a little in the room I was using before going."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

She left a little later then she would have liked, but it didn't deter her from putting as much distance between her and New Bark Town. It was bright and balmy, the temperature comfortable, as it had been for the last few weeks. She'd bought a map to study the routes to find Mr. Pokémon's home, and Professor Elm had been right: the trails were pretty straightforward. It would be difficult to lose her way between here and there. She practically didn't need a map.

Hefting the pack more securely onto her shoulders, she kept a steady pace down the road. In New Bark Town, it was small but modernized in the barest of senses. The townspeople didn't want to dull the sense of traditional travel with too many cars or other motorized vehicles. People walked nearly everywhere, with few exceptions. Pokémon seemed to be the favored source of transportation if speed was needed, such as those that can utilize Teleport or Fly, or Surf for those encountering bodies of water too big to cross without aide. And then there were those pokémon large enough that humans could ride upon their backside, which helped ease some traveling burdens….

Or at least, that's what Lupin had read in one of the books she had found lying around the lab.

Her shoulders only ached in the slightest when she finally stopped to pitch for camp later that evening. Digging up a fire pit, collecting firewood, and unpacking a few pieces of her gear took less than an hour. From the smell of things, there was another camp not too far from her, perhaps a mile up the road, the fire already crackling away. Faintly, she could hear voices, just barely, woven together with the settling daytime noises and the awakening nocturnal sounds.

_Other trainers,_ her mind automatically supplied before belated, she added, _but I'm not a trainer, just a traveler._

She got her own campfire going, and stalled in setting up the rest of her gear to enjoy the smoky scent for a few minutes. With a sigh, she finally resigned herself to pulling out a quickie meal she could warm up over the fire.

When it grew dark, she shed her jacket and tipped her hat off, allowing her ears and tail to stretch as she ate. The chirruping of daily birds all but ceased as the sun had gone down and when the darkness settled, the realm of nocturnal creatures began to spring to life in earnest. Insects chirruped and buzzed. The occasional hoot of an owl echoed faintly. Her ears gave a languid twitch every once in a while at the noises, finding them somewhat comforting compared to the constant humming of all the machinery that littered the lab. She wouldn't go so far as to call it _familiar_ in the sense of recognition, but it was reassuring at the very least. Everything she had done had been automatic, without thought, and her body seemed to know more of what to do than her own headspace did. Skills she doesn't remember learning coming to life as her hands worked made her wonder just what kind of life she led. It wasn't the first time and she knew it wouldn't be the last, either

She poked at the fire after she was done, occasionally diverting embers here or a branch there to evenly distribute things and keep it going. She checked her watch, gave her surroundings a scan before tossing her stick into the fire. Time to turn in, she reasoned, if she wanted an early start.

Gathering her unused gear, she started tucking them away into her bag, but paused when she spotted something…out of place. Something she was sure she hadn't put in. Reaching in, she wrapped her hand around it, felt the smoothness of its rounded shell and lifted. Her hand barely pulled it beyond the lip of the pack before recognition sprung on her and a split second later, the smooth pokéball she had in her hand split open.

A startled snarl-gasp strangled itself in her throat, lodged and unmoving as light bounced away from the core of the split device and landed squarely in front of her. Already she could feel her blood boiling as the silhouette took form and solidified.

Blue scales and crimson ridge plates gleamed in the firelight, with yellow-red eyes reflecting briefly, turning white-green. Then the head turned and a crooked smile eased itself on Totodile's face and her tail bristled at the croaky, rattling laugh he gave off.

"'Bout time you let me out. I was starting to get bored sitting in that thing."

He gave a sniff, words failing to come to mind as Lupin stared, both dumbly and angrily at the reptilian pokémon. He ambled past her toward the fire and plopped in front of it, looking as comfy as can be.

"You wouldn't happen to have any pokémon chow, would you? I haven't eaten since this afternoon."

Lupin scowled, finally mustering up something somewhat intelligible.

"You…_sneaky_ little bastard. No, I do _not_ have any pokémon chow because I didn't _plan_ on bringing any pokémon! How in the hell did you even get in there?"

"Phillip and the professor. They didn't want you travelling alone, despite your protests. You know, you're being very stupid about not wanting some protection. Don't you remember what I told you about the poison bug-types that roam these forests?" He glanced at her with half-lidded eyes, snorting. "How is it you survived this long without being killed by wandering alone in the wilderness without any pokémon? Stupid."

"Well, I apparently survived long enough and I don't need the opinion of some bratty gator that isn't even a year old on my life choices." Lupin narrowed her eyes, realizing this was getting her nowhere. She remembered she could end it by sending the pokémon back and lifted the pokéball still clutched in her hand. Totodile was immediately on the alert, his body tense as he arched his back and reared up to his hind legs. A hiss emanated from his slightly open maw. She snarled back.

"Stop that! I'm taking you back to the professor _right_ _now_, so help me!"

"You can't! It's nighttime, you don't know what's out there and—"

Lupin cut him short. _Screw being polite,_ she thought. _He's been a pain in my ass since day one. _

"I can see quite well in the dark, thanks. Pretty damn sure I'll be fine."

"So you're going to waste your time hiking back to the professor's lab, in the middle of the night, _just_ to drop me off?" He sounded rather peeved and disappointed, chastising even, as though he was noticing something she wasn't. And it irked her that he spoke as though he knew more. "He's only going to insist you take me if you do that. You might as well not waste your time. He's not asking you to keep me, he's asking me to keep _you_ safe until you return from your errand. That pokémon egg is valuable, he said."

Her tail bristled again, but she finally realized his point. Despite her protests earlier that morning, both the professor and Phillip had gone against her wishes and stuffed the little monster into her pack. They'd deliberately tagged him along as a stowaway for her trip. They wouldn't take him back, not until she returned with the egg. She scowled, dropping her hand with the pokéball still grasped in it and the urge to smash it was tempting. Pokemon freed from their pokéballs were considered wild, weren't they? Trainer-less and free to roam, and she tensed, coiled to break it on the ground. Then the urge passed and she let her arm hang by her side before tossing it listlessly back into her pack.

"Fine. You win for now. Don't fuck with my fire, I want it going for as long as possible."

"I wouldn't _dream_ of putting out this heat source, unless it became necessary. It's chilly out, in case you hadn't noticed."

She hadn't, in fact. She felt fine, warm and cozy and the air didn't feel that cold to her. It was still as balmy as it was during the daylight hours, in fact. But from the close vicinity the water pokémon had placed himself in accordance with the fire, she figured it must've been a huge difference being cold-blooded. She chose not to answer, and instead turned toward her sleeping bag and after a second thought, dragged the satchel over closer to use a pillow. She paused long enough to drag out some food and tore open the packaging, setting it out. "Here. Eat some of this."

Totodile made no moves, eyeing her with half-lidded eyes, nostrils flaring then settling. She felt a little unnerved at the penetrating, unblinking gaze that held hers. She looked away, busying herself with her sleeping bag.

"You look different."

The observation was a simple one, but the admission surprised her nonetheless. She paused, glancing back at the pokémon.

"Yes, well…that's not necessarily a good thing. That's why I wear the coat and hat," she said as her ears gave a faint twitch. Kicking her legs into the sleeping bag, she had to keep her tail's fur from bunching and pinching in the confined space before settling. There was a moment of silence between them as she rolled over on her side, facing away from the fire.

She heard the scuffle of his tail dragging along on the ground, shuffling closer toward the food she'd offered moments before. Then, "It looks better."

Lupin was rather unsure of how to approach that, so she instead, she said nothing. What else could she say to a little reptile that would otherwise insult her? She just didn't have it in her to argue and instead closed her eyes, not exactly looking forward to sleep but unwilling to pass it up. She'd need the energy for tomorrow, after all.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	6. Chapter Five: Partner

**Chapter Five:  
Partner**

****_Disclaimer_: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how **Pokémon** look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3****

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_Wanna be my friend?"  
"No, you scare me a little."  
_**-House and Lucas, "**_**House M.D.**_**"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

For once, she woke without feeling like she was caught in the iron vice grip of terror and confusion. Instead, she woke groggily, almost pleasantly, with a slight weight pressing down on her chest. At first it was barely discernable and she had thought it was merely her perception of the weight of her sleeping bag. But after several belated seconds of trying—and failing—to not focus on it, she realized she could feel bumps and contours through the material, that something was curled on top of her chest and abdomen, something _alive_.

She sprung up with a startled gasp, flinging whatever it was that had been sleeping on top of her into her lap, before it slid onto the ground beside her. Immediately, she found herself transitioning from alarmed to fuming. Blue scales, crimson back plates, yellow-red eyes—that damned Totodile. She found herself tongue-tied, too angry and shocked and—well, she wasn't quite sure about the rest, but she sure as hell wasn't expecting a sneaky little reptile to share her sleeping space.

When she finally managed to collect a few words, she did so with utmost care, enunciating each word so that nothing could be misunderstood.

"What…do you think you were doing?"

"Well, I _was_ sleeping, until you so rudely tossed me onto the ground. Now I'm all dirty, thanks for that," he said in kind. He sounded just as snippy and cross, as though she were the sole offender in this. Lupin's tail bristled and her ears pinned against her head. The sun was barely up and she was already seeing it to be an extremely long day ahead of her. She didn't deem his response with one of her own. Instead, she decided it was too early to deal with this back and forth banter he was obviously expecting and hoping for.

She opted for the silent treatment, although she did shoot him one more nasty glare before getting out of her sleeping bag and began putting on her boots. Totodile eyed her from the spot he had landed on, quiet for once, but it didn't last long. He snorted, short and quick before pushing up to his hind legs and waddling over to the fire pit or what was left of it.

"The fire died and it was cold. You are…very warm. Warmer than any human I've met."

That had her pause, just as she finished lacing her second boot up and she glanced at him, admittedly a little surprised. It lessened her somewhat inflamed temper, bringing it down a few notches. Pursing her lips, she stood and turned toward the sleeping bag, brushing it off and rolling it up as she went.

"Yeah, well…I'm not exactly human, now am I?" She finally replied, giving her tail a purposeful swish. Totodile watched, and she swore she saw something flash in those yellow-red eyes, something akin to interest. She finished rolling it up and whirled the latches around it, snapped them into place, and loaded it back onto her satchel. Then she began fishing out food for the morning, along with a bottle of water, and some matches.

"You don't need to hide it today. I doubt there will be many humans on the road today."

Lupin glanced back at him, a frown tugging at her lips before she turned her gaze toward the main path, not too far from where she had veered from in order to camp. Her ears gave a few experimental twitches and she craned her neck to listen in on the direction of the other camp ahead of them. She gave a sniff, a plethora of scents rushing in and already, she deemed most unimportant, some interesting, and the rest of importance. Two trainers, young, both female, carrying at least two Pokemon each: one feline, two birds, a rat. Meowth, Pidgey, Rattata, her mind suddenly supplied and generic photos of them sprung forth, textbook observation photos from one of the many books in the lab.

She sighed at last, shaking her head.

"There're trainers up ahead. Even if we passed them, I'd rather not risk them catching up and…seeing."

Totodile snorted. "Doubtful. They'll probably spend the day bumbling about in the woods and tall grass, looking for more pokémon." He paused, as though calculating his next response before adding, "Although if they don't do that and continue down the road, I see your point."

She had a gut feeling that keeping things on the down low was the best route to take. She still didn't quite understand, but it was the only thing she had to go on, the only thing she trusted at this point. Understandably, she felt less inclined to trust her headspace with anything beyond daily activities. Although, for now, in this spot, she felt somewhat safe to keep things out for the time being. She managed to get things set up, the fire going, and air filled with the smoky scent of wood burning. Again, a sense of not-quite-familiarity-but-close wove its way into her, making her feel somewhat more relaxed. It was a constant, a comfort, and perhaps it was a mite more familiar than she realized. The sky grew lighter, and the air thickened with soft mist as the food cooked. Totodile sat on one side of the fire, warming himself up, and she on the other. It was, for once, a good kind of silence she was sharing with the reptile, surprisingly.

"You were whimpering in your sleep last night," he finally said, his voice quiet. Lupin twitched in surprise at the sudden intrusion of his voice stabbing through the quietness. She turned her head to look at him, although he kept his gaze locked on the fire. Smoke curled into the air and he watched it lift and disappear. She waited for more and was rewarded for her patience.

"I tried to wake you up. You…calmed down when I got on top of you. I don't know why. But you did. So I left you alone and stayed there, just in case. And it really was cold, so it was a win-win situation, I suppose."

Her breath caught in her throat and she wasn't entirely sure if it was from fear or trepidation—perhaps both, and more—because she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"Did…did I say anything? A name? A place?" She ventured, trying not to sound desperate for answers, although she was sure she failed. Totodile regarded her with half-lidded eyes, tilted his head a little, as though to view her better.

"What's in it for me?"

"Dammit, please!" She shouted, realizing too late how loud that had sounded. Nearby Pidgey fled from the treetops, screeching in surprise and annoyance. A few Rattata and Sentret barreled out of the grass and through the trees, squeaking in irritation as they ran away. She reeled in her temper, setting her jaw and inhaling slowly before adding, "Please. Just…did I say anything? I…I-I need to know. Please, just…for once, don't be such a brat. I'm letting you stay, aren't I?"

She didn't know if she had once been for pleading. Maybe, maybe not. But at this moment in time, she was. She didn't just want to know, she _needed_ to know. If it gave her a clue of where to look, or even who to look for, it was better than having nothing to grasp at all.

They held one another's gazes for several long moments, she would even hazard to guess nearly a full minute, before he looked away first. It felt like a small victory, although she didn't savor it.

"All right, fine," he finally conceded with what passed as a sigh. "It was hard to make out, but…I think the name you said, it was something like…it sounded like 'Alastor'."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

A name. She had a name. And it was one she'd seen in her book.

The next hour or so passed in a blur as she flipped through the leather bound book, a pen out to mark each page she found that name in. Her errand was nearly forgotten and only a reminder from the sour looking Totodile had her grudgingly pack up. Afterwards, they started anew down the beaten path that led to Mr. Pokémon's house past the rural forests and cities in between.

During that time, she poured over the entries. She ignored the things about Rougarous, Wendigos, witches, kelpies, spirits, and vampires. She looked for the personal ones, the words that spoke of a life outside hunting strange monsters that seemed to have little or no influence in this world. A name. She had a _name_.

She flipped to the last page, already knowing there was no entry there, but she looked anyway, almost as though she was expecting some new entry to appear with all the answers she needed, wanted. The entry was the same as ever, no magically added ones tailing after it and she sighed. It was something about called 'kitsunes', magically endowed nine-tailed fox demons. Something of the like. It was detailed and interesting, but completely useless to her situation.

She sighed as she slipped back to one of the few dog-eared pages, rereading the entry, then flipped to another, and then another, before she came to the last entry involving this 'Alastor' figure. There wasn't much, but it was enough to paint her a vague picture that this was someone she knew personally, someone who knew her, someone who might be a good friend, or maybe family member. They were someone important to her, at the very least.

_And I'm trying to remember them. _

It was a sliver of hope, at the very least. But it was overshadowed by the fact that she couldn't remember dreaming about them.

She finally closed the book and replaced it back in her satchel as she walked, sparing a fleeting glance at the Totodile trotting beside her on all fours. He seemed focused on the trail ahead of them, quiet and barren and quite empty of any other trainers for quite a while. Lupin couldn't smell any others for miles, so she had finally taken off her hat, letting her ears stretch.

"Hey. We should stop."

She glanced at him, but didn't falter in her steps.

"Hey!"

Fangs sank into her ankle, piercing through the jeans she wore and into her skin. She let out a strangled yelp, both surprised at the attack and from the strength that flipped her down onto the ground. Her teeth clacked at the force in which she hit the ground.

"Get off, _get off_!" She tried kicking with her other foot, but she only met thin air where the sneaky reptile had been. Suddenly the weight she had felt earlier that morning where he'd lain on top of her was back again. A long, toothy snout and yellow-red eyes filled her vision, a snarl resounding in her ears.

"Let's be clear about something so that we don't confuse things in the near future. I am here not because I like you, it was because none of the Professor's other pokémon were willing to be around you for longer than necessary. _They_ are afraid of you, whereas _I_ am not. And that means while I am on this trip, I am not some mindless beast that will starve and march itself onwards just to make _you_ happy for whatever reason that comes to your mind. We stop and rest because it will be our best friend in the long run, _especially_ if we run into wild pokémon."

She stared, dumbfounded and speechless. She worked her mouth, but no words came out. She wasn't entirely sure whether to be offended, angry, or impressed that such a miniscule little beast could render her as such. Another delayed beat passed before she snarled back, and without really thinking about it, she flicked him away. It was barely a smack, a touch, but it flung him off of her and into the dirt a few feet away with surprising force. He shook his head, stunned and pulled himself to his feet, nostrils flared and eyes turning to mere slits.

Lupin twisted onto her side and leapt to her own feet, jaw set tightly. "And let's get something straight on my end: I am not your trainer, but I sure as hell won't have you bossing me around. You're a stowaway, and one thing I know about stowaways is that they don't get the nice little privileges that I've been affording you. So, the new regime around here is we stop when I say, we rest when I say, and we eat when I say. You don't make the rules, I do. I carry your pokéball, and I can just as easily leave you in there the entire trip and you definitely wouldn't starve then, or complain or bite or threaten me. If you want to stay out and stick around, I suggest you get it through your head that you aren't the boss."

_This was a mistake,_ she realized. She should have taken him back and if the professor or Phillip refused, she could have just as easily left the pokéball on the lab's front steps. And this wasn't how she planned her trip away from the lab either. She needed privacy, instinct told her she needed to be alone when the moon was full. She couldn't afford the little blue pest to see…

Cue the secondary standoff of the day, one that didn't rely on her getting information out of the damnable reptile, but one that required saying who was in charge and who wasn't. She could see the gears turning behind those yellow-red eyes, although to what goal they were working toward, she wasn't sure. When he looked away at last with flared nostrils, she knew she'd won once more, but she wondered how many of these were left in either of them. How many more times would they bash heads before the end of the trip, fighting for dominance? She wondered if other people had this much difficulty with one of their pokémon. Then the thought was chased away when she reminded herself that she wasn't a trainer.

_I barely have a license as a lab assistant. And that was brought on as a nicety, not because I'd earned it._

The thought brought on a bitter taste at the back of her mouth and she had to swallow it back down without gagging. Sighing, she glanced back down the way they were headed.

"One more hour. Then we'll stop and rest."

"The forest doesn't end in an hour. We're headed toward the haunted forest."

She stared at him, surprised and dubious.

"Haunted…forest? As in…spirits?"

"Ghost type pokémon. They make the passage through difficult. The professor told me about it before he put me in your bag. You'll need to find the guide's house and rent a pokémon from her."

"Why didn't he tell me this?" _And why wasn't it marked on the map, for that matter…?_

"He didn't want to overwhelm you. He said we should pass through it as quickly as possible, but we do need to rest before we start. It'll take the rest of the day to get through."

She studied Totodile, still somewhat dubious about his claims and suddenly angry with the professor. Why would he even ask her to go if he didn't trust her to get through it on her own? Why bother in agreeing to let her go it alone and then turn around and betray that? That urge to turn heel and march straight back to New Bark Town was strong, almost as though a burning coal was growing hotter in her chest at the indignation at the situation.

"He wanted you safe."

"He barely knows me."

"Yes, true. A bit stupid. But he believes in the good in people. He also believes that people deserve second chances. You got that the moment I pulled you out of the lake and he brought you to the lab. He could have kicked you to the curb or left you at the police station. Instead, he brought you to the lab and gave you a temporary home with a roof and food, and gave you a job, however meager it is. Don't throw that in his face." Totodile cocked his head to the side. "He trusts you enough to help him with this. He didn't want you going off alone, though. We've been lucky a flock of Spearow or a pack of Raticate hasn't attacked, but it's not too late. Maybe the ghosts will get you."

He laughed, shaking his angled head before motioning toward the side of the road. "I told you, rest will be your best friend. And you'll need it before the forest. After that, we'll reach Florando. We can rest in a pokémon center there, free room and board for the night. And all the hot chow I can get."

He seemed so sure and so…smug about it. It really grated her nerves, but she realized, he did have a point. She would have been overwhelmed by the information. To have someone to share that mental burden with, it was the slightest relief she was actually grateful for. Then a thought hit her.

"Wait. How did the professor know you'd get this information to me in one piece? He can't understand you."

"He knows you can speak to and understand pokémon." The answer was said rather bluntly, with a hint of '_are you really that stupid?_' coating his tone. She resisted the urge to scowl.

"H-how…?"

"He's a _professor_. He's not a complete idiot, he _does_ notice things, ya know. He hasn't gained that prestigious title for his charming people skills, I can say that much." He eyeballed her with a little more steel to his gaze, rattling laughter sounding off in his throat again. "He noticed it from day one when you first met us. He feigned ignorance for the time being. I told you before. You're a rarity in the world. Very few people can understand pokémon. Call it a gift, although in your case, it might be something natural to you, given your…inhuman status."

Totodile cocked his head, pausing ever so briefly. "What are you, anyway?"

The frankness and pure curiosity that bordered innocent threw her off, and it made her anger die down some. Uncertainty replaced it, filled her up and made her duck her gaze. Her hands, which had been clenched at her sides, loosened and she began to fidget with them.

"I don't…really know. I…I found a journal that had been in my pockets and in it, it has…_things_ written and drawn pictures inside it. A lot of things inside, weird things, but one of the things I think I might be is a…a werewolf."

"And what, in Arceus' name, is a werewolf?" He gave her a dubious look now, inching closer. She was apprehensive to share, but she knew he wouldn't quit. Plus, she didn't feel like having his teeth sinking into her ankle again.

"…A monster. Something that…eats people. I'd…apparently turn into some sort of…wolf creature on full moons and go hunting. It…it explains the tail, the ears, the…stronger sense of smell, sight, hearing…everything." A lengthy pause enveloped them. She barely felt the breeze that began to pick up tickling her face and teasing her hair, nor could she feel the sun's warmth disappearing as it hid behind some clouds above. Totodile kept his eyes locked on hers, not daring to break away this time. Or so it seemed for a long while. His nostrils flared slightly, giving a faint nod toward the road, ducking his gaze.

"We should rest and eat now. We'll have plenty of time to bicker the rest of the trip." With that, he moved off the path and toward a spacious grassy knoll just behind a thin copse of trees. "C'mon, hurry up. Don't make me drag your tail over here like I did dragging it out of that lake."

She blinked at the sudden shift in his demeanor, at the casualness he'd taken in the news. She eyed his waddling backside a second longer before slowly following after him, hefting her satchel a little higher on her shoulders. Slowly, she went through the motions of getting things set up, even if it was only for some lunch. Cold cuts and some bread were quickly pulled out, along with a small wedge of cheese and some water. She handed out bits of cold cuts as she nibbled on her cheese, eyeing the blue-scaled reptile all the while. There was very little comfort in the way he'd abruptly changed subjects after her confession. It gnawed at her until she was nearly finished with her food and she finally had to say something, _anything_.

Putting down her bottle, she regarded Totodile before asking, "Do you…believe me, or are you just going to sit there quiet-like and pretend everything's all right and really think that I'm crazy?"

"The second one."

Lupin scowled. "I'm being serious."

"So'm I. Do you honestly expect me to believe that story? If you don't want to tell me, then fine, I'll play along for the time being. It's not like I honestly care, even if it is interesting. I told you before, and I'll tell you again. I'm not here because I'm concerned for you, I'm here because the professor had me come, and because you interest me and not in the happy, fuzzy way either. You are a strange case. You're neither human nor pokémon…maybe you're both. That's why you smell so strange."

He sounded so matter-of-fact, so sure, so…so _smug_.

Like he knew what it was already and she was too dim to catch on. It infuriated her, but she kept quiet for the time being in spite of herself. Instead, she put her focus on finishing the rest of her food, gathering the trash and packing up everything else. After checking the map, she traced the route they were on with her finger, then poked at the town labeled 'Florando'. She frowned, measuring the distance and mentally calculating the time it would take to get there.

"It's almost thirty miles away. There's no way we can make it by nightfall."

Totodile shuffled closer, sticking his snout close to the map and eyeballed the route. He snorted.

"We don't have to. We just need to make it through the forest. Here," he motioned with a clawed digit to a patch of green. "This is all haunted forest territory. The professor showed me. We just need to find the woman who loans out Hoothoots to trainers."

"Hoot…hoot?" She echoed, her brow furrowing in puzzlement. If Totodile had the ability to roll his eyes, she was very sure he would have done so. Instead he gave her that look that told her she was being stupid without actually saying it.

"Yes. Very good. _Hoot-hoot_. Powder puff feather balls that look like a gourmet meal with wings." She saw the hungry gleam in his eyes and she scowled, rolling the map back up.

"Don't eat the rental pokémon."

"I would _never_!" He replied in a huff of mock offense. "I would rather catch and eat a wild one. They look so plump; it's hard not to think of them as food."

"You do know that the feathers on birds make them look fatter than they really are, right?"

"Apparently, you've never seen a Hoothoot," he said, then motioned with his snout toward the road. "We'll be cutting it close with the forest. It's just another few miles down the road. Come on."

She stared after the waddling blue-and-red backside of the Totodile, his tail scraping along in the dirt behind him. Lupin glanced back behind her, down the road they'd just marched along before their impromptu stop to rest. The sky above was a clear and piercing blue with barely a cloud in sight, while the forest below was deep green and brown and gray with shadow, patches of wild tall grass making up large clearings beyond the road and trees.

Her ears twitched beneath her hat at the sound of Totodile calling to her. With a resigned sigh, she turned on her heel and grudgingly followed after him.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	7. Chapter Six: Flicker

**Chapter Six:  
Flicker**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note_: *peeps head around corner and waves* Hello, all. Sorry for the delay in updates, I was away at training for over two weeks and just got back. But, I wanted to get this out here before I forgot. Now, on with the show!**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_What are we doing?"  
"We're hunting a ghost."  
"A ghost, exactly. Who _does_ that?"  
"…Us."_**  
-Dean and Sam, "**_**Supernatural**_**"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"You _do_ realize just how close you're cutting it by leaving this late in the day, don't you?"

The elderly woman, who had introduced herself as Hagatha, eyed her for a lengthy period of time before turning her shrewd gaze onto the wandering Totodile. He was sniffing the cages filled with quietly resting Hoothoot, their faces hidden beneath their wings as they snoozed. One had been disturbed by the rattling his tail made against one of the cages and was now puffed up, red eyes beadily watching the Totodile. A long, dry hiss emitted from its partially open beak.

"Hey, hey! Get out of there! Stay away, you little scavenger! Please contain your Totodile, I don't want it disturbing them."

Lupin swallowed the kneejerk comment that he wasn't her Totodile, that she was only borrowing him. She didn't need the headache to explain things to every person she came across for her situation, she reasoned. She could only find it in her to simply obey the decrepit looking old woman, trudging over to the greedy-eyed pokémon and snatch him up into her arms. He wriggled and squealed protests at her, but she growled by his ear to stop it and behave.

She felt his body coil with tension, a soft hiss of warning not unlike the Hoothoot's from moments before emanate from Totodile. She scowled at the back of his head and shifted him to her shoulder. Grudgingly, he allowed her to do so.

"Googly old hag," she heard him mutter as he settled himself to drape over her like a scaly scarf.

"Shut it, and let me negotiate with the nice lady, wouldja? She's been very patient with us and if you eat her Hoothoot, I will skin you alive and give your scales to her as an apology gift."

The small comment seemed to perk the elderly woman up and she grinned, revealing several gaps where her teeth used to be.

"My, my, your mother must have taught you some good discipline skills and good manners to boot. Buttering me up like that…" She chortled, smacking Lupin's arm good naturedly before turning back toward the aviary. Lupin offered a meek smile in return, although her stomach flip-flopped on itself and her mouth went dry.

"Yes…she did. She…certainly did. Respect for my elders and whatnot," she added quietly, following after the hunchbacked woman as she motioned for her to follow.

"I get a lot of traffic from New Bark Town when trainers decide to pass through this forest. The ghosts don't bother me none, not with all my Hoothoot, but then again, they never bothered me much before either. But I was tired of trainers losing their way or, Legendaries forbid, dying in those woods, so I decided to set up this small business. It's still small, but humble enough to get me by."

Hagatha continued down the lane, gazing into the darkened cages with a sharp eye, a frown tugging her lips down. She motioned with a gnarled finger to one of them as they passed it by, "This one used to give me so much trouble. Wouldn't listen to a trainer at all, except for the pretty girls." She chuckled slyly at this at a peek of red eyes opening to watch them pass. "But now he's one of my best navigators, although he's not the quickest."

The aforementioned Hoothoot lifted its head from under its wing at its mentioning, peering down at them as they passed with red eyes. It shivered, feathers puffing up and out, before they slowly all began to settle.

"This forest is filled with ghost types. Gastly and Haunter are by far the most common. Occasionally, there are Gengar that roam about, although they don't stick around for very long and move on. I wouldn't want to be under their radar, however. It bodes ill for whoever crosses their path wrongly. Spiteful creatures."

The old woman passed her best navigator on by and paused before the end of the line of cages in the aviary and motioned to a small poof ball of feathers standing on a branch, its face hidden away under its wing as well.

"Here she is. This one. She'll take you through the quickest. I would feel better if you weren't in this forest for any longer than you have to be. Especially this late in the day."

She turned to give Lupin a fierce little stare, lips pressed so tightly together, Lupin thought she'd lose another tooth. "Keep your snaggle-toothed Totodile away from her. I don't fancy losing one of my birds to his fangs."

"I wouldn't want that scrawny little feather ball—"

Lupin abruptly cut off the insult by grabbing his jaws and pinching them shut. "Sorry. He's a rude little thing. I'm working on that."

Even if Hagatha couldn't understand, Lupin didn't want to be subjected to listen to him. She was kept under the critical gaze of the old woman before she gave a snort and a curt nod. Crooked hands worked at the latch of the cage with surprising dexterity and she coaxed the little Hoothoot awake and out of the cage.

"All I require is three hundred yen for the trip through the forest and a hundred for the care and safety of my Hoothoot. I'm not liable for injuries if you're attacked while using her, and I don't want you using her in battle, either. Simply use her Foresight to reveal any ghosts you come across trying to trick you. They'll usually flee, but if they don't, use whatever other pokémon you have on you to battle them."

With the bird in tow, she motioned for Lupin to follow back through the lane of cages and to the main house proper. Lupin glanced at Totodile perched on her shoulder, a frown tugging at her lips. If they were attacked and he was too injured to fight back, then what was she supposed to do? Run back the way she came? Or should she just fight herself? She didn't even know how to utilize a pokémon in a battle, she realized. The more she learned the less sure she felt of herself that she should continue with a pokémon as a traveling companion.

She kept her worries quiet for the time being, and slipped out of the aviary, with its scent of feather dust and bird droppings and rotted meat from the birds' daily meals behind. They entered the house proper and crossed through until they exited the front door. Totodile shifted a little more comfortably on her shoulder, watching the old woman and the Hoothoot with his gleaming yellow-red eyes, mouth slightly agape as they stepped outside into the sun.

The woman turned on her heel toward Lupin and thrust her knobby hand out toward the werewolf, fingers crooked and clawed. Her face was grim and etched with deep, weathered lines, but her eyes were sharp and calculating as she regarded Lupin. "I require half the payment upfront. When you reach the other side, you fill the little pouch on Reyna's foot with the rest."

She then motioned faintly toward the visible foot clinging to the woman's thin wrist. A little pouch sat there, just as she said, tied comfortably by a leather thong. Lupin only nodded, before pulling her wallet out of her back pocket to fish out the required payment. When the last of the money was counted off, she was offered the Hoothoot. Lupin reached out and pressed her hand against the Hoothoot's underbelly. Another leg, hidden beneath the thick down of feathers, appeared suddenly and grasped her hand with surprising firmness, sharp claws digging into her skin. Lupin winced, but was more surprised at the amount of heat emanating from the bird's scaly foot. Pulling the bird close, the Hoothoot made a soft hiss and Lupin caught wind of "damned reptile", from the owl pokémon.

The old woman studied Lupin carefully for a few moments more before nodding and giving her pokémon a last pet on the head. Then Hagatha turned toward her front door.

"Reyna is my fastest navigator. She'll get you through in a jiffy, if you follow her route, that is. I doubt you'd want to stay the night in this forest, so you'd best take off now."

With a wave over her shoulder, she closed the door and the sound echoed resoundingly in the sudden silence that came pouring in. Then the sound faded away and Lupin was left alone with the Totodile and Hoothoot, the haunted forest looming over them like a sinister, dark beast that beckoned them to come forth.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"You don't seem to mind being close to her. She isn't human, you know. Can't you smell it?"

"I'm right here, you know."

"I can't smell that well. I see a lot better. That's how I hunt. Besides, she doesn't smell _that_ strange."

"Still right here."

"She won't tell me what she is. She says she's a monster. I don't believe that, but she doesn't smell human. You sure you can't smell that?"

"I'm still right here! You're both on either of my shoulders; I can hear everything you two are saying! I'm not deaf!"

Feathers brushed against one cheek, scales on the other, but both were beginning to grate on her nerves. Especially the talking. The literal talking over her head was the worst.

"You don't believe me? Here. See for yourself."

The hat atop her head was suddenly yanked off with such force it left one of her ears stinging with the way it pulled her fur the wrong way. She gave a yelp of surprise and indignation. The Hoothoot sitting on her right side screeched into it in just as much a surprise, taking to the air and beating her head with short wings to flutter away. The strong gust knocked Totodile off balance and he scrabbled in vain for purchase. His blunt claws dug into her back and shoulder, tail whipping about before he flopped onto the ground with a shriek of his own, Lupin's hat still clutched in his jaws.

All three remained rooted to their spots, hearts pounding and breathing hard.

Totodile was the first to collect his wits and turned his crooked snout toward Reyna the Hoothoot and rattled off a laugh at her. "See? I told you. She even has a tail under her coat! It's fuzzy and twitches a lot."

"What _is_ she? That's so weird, she can't be a human, humans don't have those! None that I've seen, anyway."

"I'M RIGHT HERE!"

Her voice resonated off into the darkness beyond the trail of the forest, echoing eerily into the air. Lupin barely noticed as she slid her glare from the Hoothoot to the Totodile, who still deemed it appropriate to carry on their conversation right over her head. Totodile laughed once more. Reyna remained silent, feathers puffed, wings drawn up self-consciously as though in plain shame at the act.

"You. You're going back in the pokéball," she pointed at Totodile, before turning and doing the same to Reyna. She squawked and puffed up further in shock. "And you. Just do your damned job. Get me through here quickly and then you can go home where you don't have to see these anymore and worry."

With that said, she reached down and snatched her hat up from the surprised and gaping jaws of Totodile. Settling it back onto her head with one hand, she started fishing out Totodile's pokéball with the other, already had it aimed at the little crocodilian when silence crashed down on them. The forest had already been silent before, with its deceptively cheery dappled sunlight and shadowy sinews of tree branches providing shade over the trail. But this, this was a different kind of silence. It felt abrupt, like a door slamming and the way the shadows danced, it felt as though the entire atmosphere had suddenly shifted, with the air growing denser and the light fading quickly. It was noticeable, and sent bone-deep chills crawling down her spine and the chills were worming their way deeper still. Lupin's breath caught in her chest, suddenly so, when she felt that shiver come over her in a sudden, unwelcome wave. An iron vice gripped them all, she could see the unease in Totodile and the lack of hoots from Reyna behind her only furthered her suspicion. Slowly, Lupin replaced the pokéball back into her coat pocket and slid to a knee, motioning for Totodile. He came just as sluggishly, quietly taking her offer to clamber onto her shoulder without needing further prompting. His body was coiled with tension, ready to spring at a moment's notice, but she felt he was shaking terribly. Then Lupin turned toward Reyna and she froze.

Behind the Hoothoot, a grotesque face was carved into the wood of the tree and was becoming more defined still. Sinister and appallingly so, the face actually moved. Its jaws widened and was laden with fangs, its eyes gleaming, and shaped into sinisterly gleeful slits and they seemed to glow red from the core. Tree branches began to shake around them, the wood creaking horrendously, as though they were coming to life. It blocked out the light further, throwing them into shadows and darkness. The leafless branches dipped lower, the craggy limbs arching their crooked claws down, reaching for them. Lupin's tail bristled and her ears pressed further against her head when she began to notice faces were beginning to appear on the other tree trunks. All the jeering expressions were staring at them, she realized, watching with that sinister light and she could feel the miasma of tension thickening by the second. It only seemed to worsen when she picked up on the faint, overlapping whispers and eerie, creepy laughter that echoed around them.

"Reyna…what do you do…when something weird happens in this place? What's that move your owner taught you?"

It took Reyna a moment to respond, as she began to take in what was happening around them. She shook her tail feathers and ruffled her feathers a bit, looking only slightly perturbed by the sight surrounding them. Then she took to wing and glided silently toward Lupin. The werewolf held out her arm and Reyna landed, graceful as can be and settled comfortably on her perch.

"Foresight." She simply responded, and her eyes gleamed bright red, before the light projected out and doused the surrounding area in it.

Shadows against the trees stood out starkly in the light, as though their true shapes had been revealed. As the light receded, the shadows against the trees remained, floating in midair unassisted. Hisses and moans of pain and disgruntlement filled the air now, more out of annoyance than anything.

"Dammit, you Hoothoot ruin all the fun! Can't you let us mess with these trainers more often without interfering from the get-go?" One voice called and shortly was backed by murmurs of agreement.

The shadowy shapes peeled themselves away from the trees, floating in the air still well above their heads. The longer Lupin stared, however, she could see that they weren't of corporeal shape nor did they seem physically there. They were gaseous and their bodies, even while in one place, seemed ready to shift at a moment's notice into something less substantial. Amorphous in some moments, nearly-solid in others, Lupin didn't believe they had real bodies.

Ghost types, the old crone had said, roamed the haunted forest. That was why it was called as such. She could suddenly see why the professor didn't bother to burden her with the knowledge of this place before her departure; he didn't want her to worry about running into these creatures any more than she had to. She eyed the gathered shadowy shapes above, could see sinister eyes peering down with wicked mirth in them, furthered only by the gleeful smiles full of fangs flashed their way. Totodile grew tenser, if it was possible, and bared his teeth at them in return, hissing as menacingly as he could.

Instinctively and without really thinking, she brought a hand up to stroke his head in an attempt to soothe him. She didn't feel afraid, not really, but she wasn't exactly comfortable, either. They made her fur bristle and her skin pimple with gooseflesh.

Reyna '_hmphed_' from her perch on Lupin's arm, unperturbed by the floating dark creatures.

"If you don't want to end up lying around in a puddle of your own gases, then scat! She's not staying here to be your plaything, so move on and go find someone else to torture."

"Oh, c'mon, Reyna," one of the shapes moved closer, a perfect black ball of shadowy gas and wide eyes and big teeth. "We weren't gonna _hurt_ her. Just _scare_ her a little."

Chortles and sniggers came from the others. Reyna screeched piercingly and the ball of gas retreated with a wail and a curse. The others backed off, falling silent. Lupin winced, her ears ringing slightly.

"You've already scared several trainers, quite literally to death. Why do you think Hagatha rents us to trainers these days?" Another screech resounded from the little owl, who appeared twice her size now because she had puffed all her feathers up. "Now get out of here or you'll regret it! I'll get Hagatha's Noctowls down here if you don't!"

Lupin waited, as did Totodile. Then slowly, one by one, each of the shadowy creatures began to fade from sight right in front of them. Soon they were all alone, the three of them. Or so it seemed. Lupin felt as though there were eyes upon them still, waiting from the shadows, invisibly lurking. It sent another chill down her spine.

Reyna's feathers smoothed, but only slightly and she took to the air once more, her wing beats nearly silent even to Lupin's hearing.

"This way. It's getting late and we have a ways to go."

Neither pokémon nor werewolf complained and Lupin took off at a brisk pace, but she couldn't shake the feeling of being followed and watched.

"I have the same feeling," Totodile admitted quietly when she said so later in the day. He was still shaking, and she wasn't sure whether it was from tension or fear or both.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"What is that?"

Reyna paused in a branch above them and hooted curiously, hopping to turn around and looked down. Lupin had paused in her blazing trail along the forest path Reyna was leading her down when something caught her eye. She narrowed her eyes at the sight beyond, dancing little lights in the shadows, almost as though beckoning her to follow and…it was tempting. Very tempting. But something else reared up in warning at the back of her head like a recalcitrant horse. It was tiny and overshadowed by curiosity, however, and she stepped off the path toward the bouncing lights. It was only when Reyna came swooping in and screeching in her face that the trance ended and the temptation was pushed to the back of her head. Totodile hissed in return and Lupin flailed an arm to push the bird away from her face in defense with a strangled cry of surprise.

"Don't follow the lights!" She shrieked, landing on a fallen tree's upraised branch, feathers puffy and menacing. "Those are Litwicks. They'll steal you away from this world if you follow them."

"Litwicks?"

"More ghost types. The forest used to be filled with just Gastly and Haunter and the occasional Gengar…but ever since other trainers began crossing through every region, they've brought their own pokémon from those regions as well. Litwicks aren't native to Johto, but they sometimes end up in this forest. A high volume area of ghost types will attract other ghost types. Litwicks don't linger often here, but they're occasional, alongside others that migrate through. They'll try to trick you into following them, pretend that they're leading you out of the forest like a helpful guiding light. Then they'll steal your life away. That's why their flames get brighter, because they feed off of the life force of those around them. It's dangerous to own them as a trainer. They might just kill you if they stayed out longer than necessary."

Lupin turned to look at the bouncing light again, before she saw that it didn't look normal, and the same creeping feeling as when the Gastly and Haunter had appeared came back. The hairs on the back of her neck rose, alongside the fur on her tail and made everything stand on end. The chill that had finally fled for the most part returned with a vengeance. The light wasn't normal, now that Reyna had inputted her word on it. It wasn't bright and cheery and tempting to follow anymore. It was ominous and dark, despite the light it provided. It was violet-hued, she also noted, such a strange and unusual colour for a flame. Violet like…

Her hand drifted to her back pocket where she kept her wallet stored, where she kept all those pictures she had found stashed away. Violet like…the eyes of the man in her pictures. Her brow furrowed, puzzled at the sudden thought, and the urge to pull it out was strong. But a light nudge from Totodile on her shoulder brought her out of her reverie, the thoughts of pictures and violet coloured eyes and mysterious, smiling faces completely forgotten.

"Keep moving. It's almost night time and that's when the ghosts really come out. I don't want to be stuck in here any longer."

She nodded, quiet on the fact that he was still shaking, and she was sure it was from fear now. Gently, she raised a hand and gave his back a soothing pet before falling back into step onto the path. He settled somewhat, eyes locked on Reyna as she fluttered above them on silent wings, casting out a blinding light ahead of them and chasing away the shadowy figures that appeared.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The sun was sinking below the horizon when they finally passed through the tree line of the haunted forest and out into the open air. It felt fresher as they stepped into the clearing, less sick, less tempting to let the forest simply take them and never let them go. The chill that had riddled Lupin's spine was slowly easing away with the faintest of tingles and the shaking tension that plagued Totodile as he rode along on her shoulder was as well. He practically slumped against her now, too exhausted to pass along quips with Reyna as she came to perch on Lupin's outstretched arm when coaxed over.

She slipped her wallet back out for the second time that day and placed the last of Hagatha's payment into the little pouch strapped to Reyna's ankle. With a nod of approval, the Hoothoot thanked Lupin before taking off again, this time over the trees of the forest.

Lupin watched until the owl pokémon was gone before turning to look down the road.

"Do you…want to pitch up camp here or would you rather go down a ways?"

"Do you have to ask?" He grumbled moodily back, glowering at her with his one visible eye. Lupin sighed, boots scuffling as she took to the road again, although it didn't escape her notice how swollen the moon looked.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	8. Chapter Seven: Howl

**Chapter Seven:  
Howl**

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3  
**

**Note: *waves again* Thought I'd go on a semi-regular schedule, so another chapter is to be had! Also, guest appearance has finally made itself aware. :D**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_If you could only see the beast you've made of me  
I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free  
The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound  
I hunt for you with bloody feet across the hallowed ground  
_**-"**_**Howl**_**" by Florence &amp; The Machine**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

It was quiet and dark when he awoke. He hadn't been expecting that ride to be such a doozy, but then again, he hadn't really expected to travel from one world to the next in the first place, either. The first impression he interpreted were sounds and smells, split seconds before sight kicked in and everything was laid out before him, dark or not. Superb night vision had its advantages. Thick, woody scents assaulted his nose, his mind automatically pinpointing his location in a forest of sorts. The heavy musk of animals from their constant traffic through the area, and even the near-constant scent marks of humans pushing through came to him. Things were already categorizing as vital, not important, and some of slight interest but not immediately so. It only took a few moments to gather his bearings before he began prioritizing what needed to be done.

...if only he could catch her scent.

That would be nice a nice, convenient start. He was _supposed_ to be in the same place she'd been dumped so unceremoniously, after all, but then again, he didn't trust everything that had been planned. Not completely.

He turned his attention to the task, eyeing his surrounding, noting the dense growth of the woods, perfect for wild animals to hunt, but clear enough to traverse for people. He could smell everything carried on the wind or in the vicinity with growing clarity and none of it registered as immediately vital to him. The one scent he wanted to find, he could already tell it wasn't here, that she hadn't come through here. That much, he could already articulate from the get go and it irked him.

He wished he'd gone with her on that hunt instead of letting her go alone, then maybe…just maybe, none of this would have happened. It was not for the first time the thought has crossed his mind, and it wouldn't be the last, not until he found her. "Gone, but not dead," had been his first clue that there was hope, and it had been the one saving grace that kept him from snapping the neck of the monster who had done all of this. It didn't take long after before the bastard had finally cracked, finally conceded to send him to the unknown world he'd so contemptuously tossed his mate into. Flinging unwitting victims into a portal seemed to be this particular nasty beastie's not-so-guilty pleasure.

Too long, he'd waited _too long_ to start looking and he was feeling an inkling of regret gnaw away at his gut. He knew she could take care of herself, fine and dandy, but there were times he worried more than usual, especially during long periods of no contact. Or when she came home, smelling of her own blood, more saturated than usual, and her mood plateaued in the realm of melancholy from whatever horror show freak she'd dedicated herself to eradicating. And for all he knew, this place could have been a veritable wasteland with little to no chances of survival that she'd been flung into because of the latest mishap. Looking at it now, he doubted it, but he was still wary and on alert.

Pausing to give the sky a glance, he stiffened momentarily at the sight of a full moon that sat in the black sky like a huge coin, silvery-blue and bright. His shoulders dropped, a fraction of an inch or so. The full moon…that would mean she'd be out in her fur, hunting, or already eating her kill, or perhaps even resting. It was not his time to shift, his schedule was slightly off from hers, but still…a chill rushed down his spine at the sudden memories of loping in his fur alongside her, and he felt a twinge of regret stir inside him. He should never have let her go alone, not this time, he knew he should have listened to his gut instinct, but no. He let her go alone, like he's done hundreds of times before, trusting she'd be all right, trusting she'd come back.

Sudden movement halted his thoughts, made him tense and he waited, on edge, eyes sweeping over toward the direction it came from. Something small and quick darted between one shrub to another, whisked around to the backside of a thick tree trunk and then…nothing. A few seconds passed. Then a furry snout came poking out, twitching and sniffing, followed by a squashed little face, with a waddling body trailing behind it. He could already see mismatched, zig-zag patterns decorating its fur. It looked like a cross between a dog and a raccoon, with a black mask over its liquid brown eyes. Its fur was coarse and in spike-like tufts and coloured in creams and light browns.

He stared, taken aback, before he let out a gush of air that he hadn't known he'd been holding until it puffed into a relieved laugh. The noise startled the creature and it jumped in the air before turning tail as soon as its feet hit the ground, darting back the way it had come.

Oh, _relief_. It felt so good to have that strain of worry and anxiety that had been building up like a festering sickness suddenly deflate and ease away. He quickly felt less apprehension for her, and realized she could have been sent somewhere, anywhere far worse than this place. She could have been sent to somewhere so much worse than this world. Yet, she was here, where he knew the creatures inhabiting this place had been nothing but fantastical monsters that occupied the imagination and gaming of children where he was from.

The minute Alastor found Lupin, he was going to hold her close and not her go for a good long while. And then he was going to smack her upside the head for worrying him and for getting herself in such a predicament in the first place.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Why aren't we headed into town?"

Lupin poked at the fire, stoking and adjusting a log with a thick stick. Its tip was a bright, cherry red and the embers beneath glowed red hot, bright and cheery as the fire made the wood crackle and pop. Satisfied, she put the stick down and turned her attention to the simmering pot hanging on its pole above the fire, ladling at the stew inside. It was thick and hearty, and especially very meaty, laden with Tauros meat she'd bought in Florando. With a pinch of salt and pepper and some herbs, it was very enticing and easy on the nose. Even Totodile briefly forgot his own question at the scent for a few seconds before he shook his head and repeated it more sternly.

"We can get way better chow down in the Pokémon Center in town. Like the chow we _should_ have gotten when we stopped in Florando, but nooooo…" He added with a beady glare. He grumbled a bit more as he trudged around the campfire toward her when she ignored him. She continued stirring, lifting her sleeve out of reach when he made to snap at it. He snarled, back plates flaring before he scampered around her. A few seconds passed before she felt her tail singing with pain. She whirled, ignoring the painful twinge her back made at the slight contortion as she stared, aghast at the sight. Totodile had latched his jaws around her tail and try as she might to pull it away, he stubbornly hung on.

She made a swipe at him, cringing every time a jolt of pain raced up from her tail bone, along her spine, and to the back of her skull. He ducked, giving it another harsh tug and she let out a strangled half-snarl, half-cry.

"Get off, get off!"

"Not until we go into town!" He growled back, his mouth muffled by her fur.

"We _can't_, not tonight all right, just—get the fuck _off_ of me!"

She finally managed a hit, but it was a glancing one. He released at last, skittering across the ground on all fours before rearing back to his hind legs on the other side of the campfire. His eyes glittered in the fire light, his scales catching in the sunset's dying rays that still barely peeked over treetops. Lupin was smoothing her tail over gingerly, the pain already receding. She had her eyes locked on Totodile, however, her hackles raised and a growl building in her chest.

"We're on a tight schedule, in case you forgot. We're not going to dally around out in the woods just because you don't want people to see your furry little butt."

"Look, tonight isn't a good night, but we can go down tomorrow. We'll even be in Cherrygrove by then and we'll be right on schedule—"

"Why can't we go tonight? We're right there. And don't start with that full moon tale again. You're not some shapeshifting monster, you're a liar with a weird tail and fuzzy ears trying to pass yourself off as human. It's pathetic, you barely put any effort into hiding anything." He snorted derisively at her, nostrils flaring and yellow-red eyes narrowing to mere slits.

Lupin didn't bother with the stare down game. Instead, she whipped out his pokéball and recalled him. The split-second look of surprise on his face before he disappeared in a flash of light would have been a priceless reward for everything he's done up to this point to her. It would have given her some satisfaction, some relief, at not having to put up with his smug attitude and know-it-all air of a lab-raised pokémon. But it didn't. It left her feeling a white-hot rage building knots in her chest, twisting over on itself so tightly, it was spreading painfully down to her limbs, her stomach, her very core.

It took her a very long minute to realize that the pain really was real and that it wasn't imagined. It wove over itself, tighter and tighter, making it hard to breathe and she struggled to keep her limbs from shaking but to no avail. She dropped the pokéball, and turned away before stumbling to her hands and knees. Lifting her head, she hurriedly scanned the sky. It was nearly dark, the sky that had been bleeding its last dredges of daylight before disappearing to the cooler scheme of night. She searched for the moon, but couldn't find it, not with the trees blocking the horizon. Another twist and brief stab of agony in her chest and gut had her tensing up again and she twisted away further from the campfire.

She heard, rather than felt, something rip and her ears swiveled in its direction long before the idea to search with her eyes came to mind. When it did, she craned her neck, trying to minimize the movements to keep her head to stop aching so much, but the pain took a brief backseat. She could feel her arms beginning to bulge and her frame expanding out, and fur was bristling out of flesh. Rough, dark patches began covering the tips of her fingers and the palm of her hand like thick black calluses. Her finger nails—already tipped with sharp, thick points—thickened further, darkened, lengthened into curving hooks. And everything else just seemed to grow and bulge and _shift_.

Well, everything except her clothes. The last second idea to strip off her long coat and kick her boots off came in a rush and she fumbled with inarticulate hands to yank the laces off and just in time. She heard and felt the crunch and crack of bones and briefly wondered, horrified, if her body was _breaking_ itself before she realized it was physically readjusting, rearranging.

Her brief stint of curiosity was thrown on the backburner as well as she felt everything stretching, rippling, _changing_. Clear thoughts scattered at the faint noise of ripping, tearing, screaming, roaring—

…was that…_her_ making that horrible noise?

Everything seemed clouded now, the pain peaking somewhere between agonizing and sweet, unbearable and euphoric. It hurt, it really did, especially her face as it began to swell and lengthen, but there was a blissful release once everything began to settle down and ease itself into place. She had tried to fight it at first, but when she had relaxed, it came easier and was less painful to endure. The transition wasn't smooth, even when she stopped tensing up, but it was smoother than resisting completely.

She lay on the ground when everything seemed to have finally settled and stopped, panting heavily, her tongue lolling. Air gushed out of her lungs and was sucked back in greedily while her heart pounded away in her chest. It soon began to slow, as did her pulse. The pain from before was a faint throb, and was replaced by a tingle, and that too was beginning to ebb away. With a soft grunt, she pushed herself up. Her vision swam only for the briefest of moments before she steadied herself and she was up on her feet. She swayed, somewhat off balance, then stilled and realized almost immediately: _I'm taller._

She snorted, glancing down. Everything was covered in fur, she realized, except for all the scarred areas on her body, like the burn marks on her wrists or the claw marks on her abdomen. She saw torn clothing around her and let out a soft whimper, although she noted her boots and coat were in relatively good condition. Her boot laces were slightly frayed from where her claws had torn at them, but she could get them replaced in Cherrygrove, she reasoned.

Diverting her attention away from the destroyed clothing articles, she breathed in deep and a heady rush of different scents came rushing in and flying through her head. The campfire was the strongest, muscling in to the forefront of her mind. Then the wafting scent of her cooking dinner that still simmered over the campfire caught her attention. She had hoped to eat something beforehand, hoping to quell most of her hunger and perhaps stay in one spot instead of wandering away. Other scents—a myriad of animal musk and plant fragrances; fresh water from a stream or creek; humans and pokémon alike—came sailing on through the filter next, and she immediately categorized them as insignificant and not an immediate danger to her at the moment. She moved heavy paws forward, shuffling slowly toward the campfire.

The heat was strong, but it was dying. No matter. She had no need for fire tonight, not when she was covered in thick, but soft fur. The wind was picking up, tickling her nose and bringing on fresher scents. She inhaled again and shuddered. Nothing of interest, she noted again. Nothing of importance, at least not yet. Turning back to the fire, she reached for the pot and took it off the pole, her mouth salivating at the scent of cooking meat. The pads on the tips of her hand-like paws gripped it well and she brought it down to the ground, sniffing hungrily. It was hot as she stuck her snout closer and gave the broth a quick lap, yet it was good.

But, she realized, not good enough. She wanted something hot, yes, but she craved hot blood, fresh from a kill. She gave the broth a few more laps, and even managed to scoop up some of the cooked Tauros meat and some of the veggies floating around in the stew, although it didn't quite satisfy her craving. Should she leave? She could satiate her hunger then. But what if someone saw her? One instinct gave the solution to not get caught. Another said to not leave witnesses. Another alternative told her to stay put and wait out the night. She decided to stay for the time and finish off the food in the pot as she mulled over what she wanted to do, not wanting to waste it since she'd cooked it earlier. She found herself still hungry and not very satisfied with the cooked meat like she thought she would be. Her stomach flip flopped in on itself, demanding to be filled and she whined pitifully at the torn decision to stay and go. Finally she pushed back up to her feet, still feeling unsure of how well she could move when her thoughts—already becoming muddled and less sensible, unlike the way they were when she wasn't in her fur—came to a standstill.

A round object rolled around on the ground when her paw struck it, the shiny surface gleaming orange and red and yellow in the dying firelight. She dropped back down on all fours, sniffing at it carefully. She nudged it once with her nose, then again, then a third time, only harder. It rolled across the ground, bounced and swerved its path and bumped against her satchel. It remained still for a moment before it split in half. Blinding light leapt from its open maw and she let out a surprised bellow, teeth bared and black lips peeled back in warning as the light took shape and solidified. The dry musk of a reptile filled the air. The renewed scent mingled with its earlier predecessor. Blue scales gleamed in the fire, and yellow-red eyes stared around, long crooked snout gaping in a hiss. He paused at the sight of her and opened his mouth wider, hissed louder and a small, squeaking growl emanated from deep in his throat as he scuttled backward away from her.

Her lips pulled back down slightly, covering most of her teeth as she tilted her head to the side.

Totodile, she remembered. He seemed so much…smaller now. She reached out to bat a paw at him experimentally. He reacted instantly, snapping his jaws at her paw while his tail swerved in the air and smacked the ground as a counterbalance.

"K-keep away! I mean it!" He warned with another growl, giving the camp a once over when she didn't press forward. He froze at the sight of the torn clothing, the cast aside boots and uttered quietly, "Where is she?"

She cocked her head to the other side. Was that…fear she heard in his voice? Even if it wasn't, she could certainly smell it, and it was coming off of the pokémon in waves. Faintly, she felt the urge to nuzzle him, to comfort him, to tell him she was all right, just different. She was wolf. Not human. Could she speak if she tried? She resolved to keep silent after a moment's consideration. Her voice probably wouldn't sound the same even if she could. Instead, she turned away with a groan. He wouldn't understand. He wouldn't believe her, not until the morning when he saw her change shape. He could stay in camp for now. She was still hungry and sitting her on her rump wasn't going to fill her belly.

"Hey! Hey, get back here—what did you do to the girl I was with, where is she?"

Girl? She wasn't a girl. Girls were little and tiny and helpless. She was strong and big and ran when the moon was full, like it was tonight. She hunted on fleet paws and could crunch bones with her jaws. She wasn't just some girl, she was a werewolf.

Wait, where did she see that again? How did she know? It was turning fuzzy now, and the pull of the forest was strong. The urge to hunt was a temptation she couldn't resist much longer and she was still so very hungry. But for what, she had to decide and quickly; she was brimming with energy that demanded to be spent tracking, hunting, killing. She wanted hot blood to gush in her mouth and slide down her throat, to take into her jaws a heart still pumping and beating. She wanted to hunt and this little blue reptile's constant nattering was beginning to annoy her. Not enough to kill him, of course. He wouldn't make much of a meal, and he was…friend? Ally? It was starting to blur, but something rang in her head to not eat the little blue reptile on principle. And a reason that she couldn't quite recall at the moment, one that stayed her jaws. Someone would be mad if she did eat him and she couldn't quite figure their face out at the moment. She could remember a vague scent mark, however, that clung to his reptilian hide. A human male, she recalled, and that was all she could remember for the time being. She'd remember in the morning, she reasoned.

She turned her head to snarl a warning, but was met instead with icy water blasting in her face. It got in her nostrils, her mouth, choked her throat and she instinctively turned her head away, hacking and coughing, gushing air out of her nose as best she could. Her throat felt ragged and raw, painful to breath for a few seconds.

"Answer me! Where is the girl I was with, what did you do to her?"

She turned at the voice and opened her jaws to respond in kind and instead a guttural roar came pouring out. It shook the very air, rattled the bones and gave her a rush. Not to mention, it shut up the little blue reptile up quite impressively. He stared with those yellow-red eyes, flabbergasted and shaking, excreting a sudden assault of _fear angry scared_ from every scale on his body.

Why didn't he use that nose of his to sniff her out? Was he suddenly blind to her scent mark? He knew her, she was sure of this, but he was acting so blind right now. It was almost embarrassing.

They stared one another down for several long moments, her fur bristling and his back plates flaring, either out of fear or an attempt to look brave and big or maybe it was all of those. She saw his gaze sliding all over her form, untrusting and wary, before they settled on her snout. The tension in his body slowly eked out and recognition slowly filtered through. His jaws worked open and closed with soft _clacks_, but no words came forth.

She took that as a cue that he understood at last and could be left alone. She snorted at him, letting her own body to relax before turning on her heel to trot away on, first on all fours, before loping up on her back paws. She heard Totodile calling back for her, heard his last words entreating her to return, moments before his voice was lost to the music of the forest spread out before her. They barely registered, however, as she opened her jaws and let out a blood curdling howl, shaking the very trees to their roots.

Time to hunt.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The air at night wasn't entirely too cold for him, even when he was outside. Not during this season and area of Johto, it was quite balmy and comfy. He simply liked the warmth others provided because it was easier than always moving around and flopping about and getting comfortable and worrying about poking himself against a nest-mate's spikes and scales. It had been nice living at the professor's lab, especially. Chikorita and Cyndaquil were both warm sources and they always slept in a pile together, so he was never without comfort. Not that being out in the open was any more uncomfortable, but tonight…

Tonight, however, he felt chilled to his bones. Utterly terrified, and too frozen to move and attempt to keep the fire going. It had slowly died down to bleak embers and then to ash right before dawn, but he dared not move from his spot. Even when his stomach began to grumble with hunger pangs, he didn't dare move toward the overturned pot, where he could smell remnants of cooked food and it smelled so _good_ it made his mouth water in spite of himself. His mind kept reeling back to the moments before being recalled to his pokéball, of the woman he'd come to know for the past few weeks, to the monster that had replaced her when he was released. Or at least, the woman he assumed he had known. A stranger with a strange secret, and now he knew she hadn't been lying to him, like he had believed.

She'd changed. _Changed_ from a human shape to…to _something_ _else_. It was no pokémon he was familiar with, no creature he knew of. She may have recalled him, perhaps only moments before it had happened, but he knew it was her. She'd changed into something that seemed like a storybook monster that humans and pokémon alike told of to scare one another. Her scent was neither human nor pokémon, but perhaps a mix of both, and that was why it always smelled so odd. That was what he told himself since the beginning, when he'd seen what she was, there wasn't any way. This was different, this was something entirely else, something in its own league. She perhaps could have passed as a pokémon, but there was something else that just rang klaxons in his head, that told him otherwise. She had smelled roughly the same, except for a deeper animal aroma, more pronounced now that she was in her fur, but he hadn't wanted to believe it at first. After he'd seen the scar on that long snout, the very same that he had grown used to seeing on a human face, it was too hard to ignore the facts that it was _her_.

It was Lupin, but at the same time, it was not Lupin. She really was a monster in a human shape.

She had called herself a werewolf. A monster in human skin that changed on the full moon, or so she claimed from that book of hers, that journal she always had her nose buried in. It was the same one the professor had found on her when they'd dragged her out of the lake. She kept it on her at all times, read through it constantly whenever they had a chance to rest, always staring, reading, muttering to herself. She didn't think he noticed, but he did, he always did. He found it annoying at times. If she hadn't found anything about herself in it by now, she probably never would.

Yet she had treated everything in it like truth, however tentatively she believed in it, but he had scoffed and disregarded it, and even forgotten for the most part. He couldn't now, not with the evidence that had surely stood before him last night. She had been covered from head to toe in fur with a lupine face and…and scars. So many scars. Scars he had never seen before that covered her arms, her belly, her legs, her back…

He had only ever seen the one on her face.

But it had been _Lupin_, he had no doubts in his mind now. It was her, whether he liked it or not. Her form was different, but her scent…no, he couldn't have mistaken it even if he wanted to. And oh, he wanted nothing more than to forget the image burned into his mind. He had wanted to believe some strange pokémon had entered camp and flung her away, but after hearing her speak about the monsters in her book, it was hard to.

Scars and fur aside, she was huge. Not as large as his mother and father, mind, but still big compared to him and it reminded him just how small he was. Lean and tall, she was coated in thick fur and her eyes had glittered gold in the bright firelight, both wild and civilized, intelligent yet savage, and when she had roared, it scared him. Her sopping wet fur against the glimmer of white fangs peeking beneath black gums had him regretting spraying her in the face almost at once. Especially with the way the red in her fur had looked chillingly like blood, dark and dripping and foreboding.

But as soon as he calmed, so had she, and then she was gone, prancing off into the forest without a second glance back at him. Then that blood-curdling howl had ripped through the fleeting quiet interlude after her departure. It left the forest coldly silent, as though everything, including the wind, was holding its breath, waiting for the dark predator to move on. Even after that, the chorus of the woods refused to sing for the longest time. The howl had left him stiff and frozen to his spot, curled beside the fire, but even with it burning half the night, he was still cold. He dared not sleep, afraid she'd come back, forgetting who he was and deciding she wanted a midnight snack after all. His eyelids were drooping by the time dawn came rolling through. Sleepy and rosy-coloured, the sun peeped through fog and snippets of clouds that dotted the horizon. The forest, after Lupin's impromptu departure, had at last resumed its nightly chorus, although it seemed an eternity had passed before the first chirrups stirred the rest into gear. But now as the nocturnal insects were settling, the morning birds were chirruping away, completely at peace.

He shivered, suddenly wishing for the fire to be borne again and he moved for the first time in hours, staring forlornly at the ashes in the dugout pit. It was at these times he wished he was a fire pokémon. Not that he couldn't survive this temperature, but still…a fire was nice. He didn't have the paws to make it and neither the heart-fire. Humans—and Lupin, by extension, he supposed—had clever paws and were almost as quick to make it.

The Totodile stiffened again when he heard the uncoordinated scuffle of movement approaching, slowly but surely and he turned his head to view where it was coming from. At first, he considered it might be other trainers. Or poachers. Pokémon poachers tended to roam forests, collecting whatever they could get their hands on, whether they be wild or trained pokémon. Thieves. He hissed in warning, arching his back and preparing to dash for cover or perhaps ready a water gun attack or maybe even both.

But then the wind changed and he relaxed, surprised, not quite believing his nose before his eyes confirmed what he'd smelt. Lupin was ambling her way back, albeit in a plodding manner. Before long, she stumbled into the small clearing where she'd made camp last night. He hissed again, not sure whether or not he should run or stay. Instinct told him to stand his ground, it was his duty as a pokémon readying itself as a starter for a potential trainer, to stay and fight and train. But something else clamored for him to run to safety.

Now he understood why Chikorita and Cyndaquil feared her so much. She really was different.

She stumbled to her knees and sat there for a few belated seconds, not moving any further from her spot. She was naked, from head to toe, and no trace of her fur was to be found except for her tail and her ears. They all slumped low; ears pinned to her head in a listless fashion, her tail flat and unmoving on the ground. Lupin swayed, and he saw the exhaustion lining her face, but there was also a kind of glow to her, one that praised conclusion and succession of a sort.

He stared, still tottering on the line of stay or go, when her mismatched eyes finally drifted over him. She stared for a long time, as though not completely registering who he was or where she was for that matter before recognition finally kicked in. Her lips pursed and her brow furrowed and she looked away at the encampment, and she blinked very slowly before wordlessly standing on wobbly legs to scoot toward her pack.

"Morning," she finally muttered to him, the first word of greeting she offered as she laboriously began unpacking clean clothes from the confines of the satchel. She started to dress just as slowly, her energy waning and he immediately wondered just how was she going to make it to Cherrygrove in such a heinous condition. Her hair was a mess, her body was streaked with dirt and she looked ready to collapse.

He carefully waddled closer, afraid of making any sudden movements lest she leap at him with suddenly renewed vigor, and with her other face in place instead of the one he'd come to know.

"We should…be in a Cherrygrove in a few hours," she continued, although it seemed more for her benefit than his own as she said this, as though she was reminding herself aloud.

"Yes," he agreed. "If you can make it in a few hours."

"I can…just…tired. I might sleep when I get there. If that's okay?"

He stared for a moment longer, then dipped his snout in a single nod. "Yes. You can," he agreed once more. He paused, then said, "Do you…remember anything from last night?"

"The moon," she said wistfully and she paused in her movements, going still and quiet, while her eyes grew distant and cloudy with faint nostalgia. "So big and round and…calling me. Blood. I remember…blood. I could smell it. Taste it. Singing, there was…singing. The moon was singing and my blood sang back and I called…called out to it with my voice."

She grew quiet, her shoulders slowly falling and the shirt in her hand lay forgotten as she stared back out into the forest, like she was back there once again. Totodile stared, watching, in awe and wonder, wondering briefly what she had truly experienced and how it would feel to be a feral pokémon running as free as she seemed to have done last night. Then he remembered himself and shook all thoughts from his head. No, he was a trainer's pokémon, not some wild beast roaming the forest. He didn't want to know what it was like to sluice through a wild pokémon's river, to worry about when or where his next meal would be, or to wander the wild aimlessly about, stuck to just one territory. He wanted to roam beside a trainer in the backwoods, yes, but that was different. Traveling with a trainer meant going _everywhere_.

He stared at Lupin for a moment longer.

But not with this one, he decided.

Never again with this woman. After this, she was on her own, just the way she had originally wanted. He fleetingly wondered if it was too late to trek back to the professor's lab.

He shuffled forward, rising to his back legs and stooped to pick up her shirt, jerking it in the air.

"Here. C'mon. Dress yourself. We're wasting time."

The nostalgia in her eyes vanished in an instant and she looked back at him, as though for the first time.

"Morning," she greeted tiredly and he sighed.

It was going to be a long day, he could feel it in his scales.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**_Addendum:_ Dun dun dunnn! A werewolf was on the loose! Whatever shall people do! Well, technically two of them, but who's counting? :P And where in the world of **Pokémon **is Alastor? One can only guess! **


	9. Chapter Eight: Recover

**Chapter Eight:  
Recover**

**_Disclaimer_: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_Any kid will run any errand for you, if you ask at bedtime._**  
-Red Skelton**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The time left spent on the road to Mr. Pokémon's home dwindled to a hazy blur after the night of the full moon. Reserved and quiet, neither of them spoke much except for when necessary, and even then, there was the strain of civility. Neither of them wanted to speak of that night. Lupin mainly had a lack of understanding and wanted to mull over it, although she barely remembered it all. Or rather, it wasn't that she _didn't_ remember, it was simply easier to recall the memories by sensory rather than by visual memory alone. She could recall things easier if she focused on the taste, touch, smell, and sound of things more so than she could by the sight of it all alone. There was more to it than just the sights and sounds, there was the smells and touches, and the preternatural sixth sense that lingered beneath the surface, a sense that had lain dormant until the full moon deemed it necessary to awaken. If she remained only absorbed by the sight of it all, she might as well have blinded herself to everything else and it made for a dull retelling.

_Everything_ was important.

And Totodile, well…he found himself in the same apprehensive state that he had scoffed at the others for indulging in back at the lab. He had thought her amusing and intriguing to a point, interesting only for her scent alone. Now, however, he saw it more clearly with just how _otherworldly_ she was and it wasn't in an endearing sense either. He could only envision that other face superimposed over the one he saw daily: there was wildfire in those bright golden eyes that boasted of more intelligence and understanding than should be allowed. The irony made him want to scoff when he thought of the many intellectual pokémon with the same wild eyes he's seen come and go. He felt it was an unfair assessment to enforce on her shoulders, but he couldn't help it.

She was an anomaly that did not belong, a strangeness that he wanted to get away from and yet…

He looked at her now as they trudged the last leg of their journey toward their destination, their halfway point, and felt that nagging tug at his conscious again. She was alone. She was alone and unsure and she may be a grown woman, but she still looked so lost, like a child, even when she was trying not to actually look it. Yet he's seen the way she's stared at pokémon they have come across with eyes that had a bemused light in them, like she was seeing them for the first time in her life. It was the same light he had seen in them when she first laid eyes on him, Chikorita, and Cyndaquil—boggled and unsure of what to make of them all. No recognition, no familiarity, nothing.

He snorted as he waddled beside her.

_Tough luck,_ he reasoned, squashing any sympathy he had for her. When this job was over, and they were back at the lab, he would be picked by a trainer—a _licensed_ trainer—and he would travel with them, side-by-side, like he was meant to do. It was what he had been _bred_ to do. Being a lab pokémon was fine for a time, but he ached to fight, to battle, to rage against an opponent like his parents had once done in their primes, and their parents before them, and so on and so forth. He did not want to be left behind and waste his days being poked and prodded at for the rest of his life. The other two seemed content with that lifestyle, but not him. A water pokémon he may be, but he had a fire and a drive that the other two seemed to lack.

And looking back on her now, Lupin seemed content to sit and wait for her answers, to laze about the lab like that assistant of Professor Elm's. She had no drive to find answers, to chase them down until she caught them, except when they were seemingly sitting in front of her and within reach. She talks and talks and _talks_ about it, and broods even more, but he's heard only words and saw little action. If he were to ever be in her position, he would have scoured the world and over if he had ever been separated from his nest-mates or trainer, and he wouldn't have stopped until he found them. She spoke but did nothing. She thought on it, but she has yet to put plans—if she even had any—into action. It wouldn't surprise him if her nest-mates weren't even looking for her and were happily content to be indefinitely away from her.

Lazy mammals.

"Hey," she said, her words breaking through his thoughts like a shaft of light in the darkness, piercing and sudden in the quietness. He gave her a glance. He has stopped asking her for rides atop her shoulders and satchel since that night. "Is…is everything okay? You've been quiet for the last few days."

_No, everything is not fine. You really are a monster._

He was still having trouble accepting what he knew to be the truth. She had changed. Perhaps not right before his eyes, but the glaring evidence had been hard to ignore. That scar on her face, and the one on that snarling beast's snout had been one and the same.

"I'm fine. I just want to get this done and get back to the lab."

_Back where I can happily ignore you and you can ignore me like before, and you can brood in your room and I can wait for my real trainer to take me on our journey together. _

"Are you sure?"

So unsure, so worried, so…so unconvinced. So what? Her opinion hadn't mattered, not since day one and certainly not now. The only opinions he cared about, for now, were Professor Elm's and his soon-to-be-trainer's. Whoever they were and whenever they showed up, that is.

_I never should have gone with you. You didn't need me after all, you were right all along; you should have done this alone. You would have liked that, you wanted to take me back. I should have just let you._

"Yes."

She still looked skeptical, but she fell silent and didn't press the issue. He continued the unassuming façade he had maintained a majority of the trip, but this time without the smart quips like before. He could only see that other face every time he looked at her. He didn't want to do that anymore. It made his blood turn to ice and his heart quicken in apprehension. Every instinct rang klaxons in his skull, telling him to turn tail and head the other way with every whiff of her scent he caught.

_You never needed a mediator or a pokémon to fight or protect you. You never really needed any pokémon because you could have torn them apart with your teeth and claws. You really _can_ take care of yourself. I'll be glad if you leave before I do._

She grew quiet after a time, once more slipping back into her gloomy silence, thinking whatever thoughts that came across her mind. They were steeped in the silence of the afternoon as they drew closer to their destination. He was glad this was nearly over.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Graham "Mr. Pokémon" Wardson was an excited sort of fellow, if that could be allowed to be the shortest descriptor to label the man on sight. He was of average height and build, donning a sensible attire of khaki pants, button down blue shirt, and a trilby hat. As soon as he laid eyes on his visitor, he was grinning from ear to ear behind his neatly trimmed beard, a wide strip of teeth gleaming and puffed out a hearty laugh. He immediately ushered in Lupin and Totodile still beaming that wide smile at her, shaking her hand and clapping her shoulder and leading her inside with barely an introduction.

"I already know who you are; Professor Elm shot me an email a few days ago, saying you'd be by around this time! You're Lupin, his new junior assistant!"

She smiled, albeit nervously and a mite embarrassed, but nodded all the same, giving Totodile a sparing glance at her side. Mr. Pokémon led them through the threshold, a cozy den with plush couches and loveseats, and a few little desks and side tables sat in the squashed room. A silent, black-screened television was mounted on the wall above a fireplace, but her impression of the room was fleeting as he led her through an open doorway into another room. Totodile waddled after the two, glancing at the human household with all the interest he could muster, which wasn't very much. All he wanted to do was lay down and rest his tired paws. They were led to a small dining room, and the older man motioned toward a table sitting between a bookshelf crammed with books of all sizes, shapes, colours, and a glass-covered cabinet that housed various bits, bobbles, pieces and objects of interest and strangeness alike. Side tables were also similarly covered in odd knickknacks, mostly pokémon-themed paraphernalia, Lupin noticed. In fact, every available surface was sprawling with odd artifacts.

Moments after she took in the scenery of the room, she noticed that she wasn't the only guest that Mr. Pokémon had. Another man was there, sipping from a teacup, but at the blustering excitement Mr. Pokémon was exuding, he turned to see what all the fuss was about. Totodile snorted.

"Ah, I'm so sorry, where are my manners? This is Professor Oak. Professor Oak, this is Lupin, Professor Elm's new junior assistant down at the lab in New Bark Town. She's come to whisk away that little mystery I was telling you about earlier."

"Not much of a mystery if we already know what it is," the professor noted dryly with a faint smile. He stood, laying his teacup back on its saucer and crossed the room to meet them halfway, holding a hand out to Lupin. "It's good to meet you. I've heard a few things from Professor Elm about you. My condolences. I hope that you're able to find what you're looking for."

Awkwardly, Lupin shook his hand, feeling a little upset that her condition was being advertised beyond the people she already knew. She said nothing, however, and only nodded to the man, eyeing him studiously. He was tall, broad-shouldered, sporting a casual attire of loafers, khaki slacks and a collared shirt beneath a white lab coat. His hair was graying in most areas and his face, while kindly, had a series of hard lines etching across it. His skin was darkly tanned, suggesting he did as much outside work as he did inside. The hard lines were softened, however, by the smile he sported, and crow's feet formed to crinkle at the edges of his eyes, making them flash with mirth as he regarded her just as carefully. She felt a shiver when his eyes traced the scar on her face, but he said nothing about it, so she did the same.

"Thank you…Professor Oak, was it?"

_Tree names. Elm. Oak. Is this a theme? Is there a Birch in the family there, somewhere?_

The amusing thought passed along fairly quickly as she watched, from the corner of her eyes, Mr. Pokémon scuffle about before he exited the room completely, leaving her alone with the elderly gentleman. Dropping her hand and clearing her throat, she shouldered her pack into a more comfortable position. As though remembering himself, Professor Oak motioned to the table.

"You can sit and relax if you'd like, I'm sure you and your companion there would welcome the rest?" He smiled again, glancing down at the blue-scaled reptile. "Ah, a Totodile. Wonderful choice you made."

"Really wasn't mine," Lupin said, taking up his offer to rest her feet. Plopping into one of the empty chairs, she sighed, visibly relaxing and carefully dislodging the satchel from her shoulders. "I was…coerced into taking him. I didn't exactly have a team when…when they found me."

A perplexed and questioning expression lined the professor's face as he eyed her more critically now. Clearly, this information hadn't been made known to him. He regarded her carefully, as though trying to sense any visible sign of misgivings to her words.

"You wanted to journey here alone? You do realize how much more dangerous that is, don't you? While a lot of the pokémon that live along the trails and forests between here and New Bark Town are relatively low maintenance, there are more evolved, more dangerous pokémon that roam about as well." He looked appropriately worried and alarmed at her admission, and even more so at her rather unimpressed, unconcerned expression. She glanced at Totodile. He looked away.

"I can appreciate the sentiment, Professor Oak, but the most I ran into were some Gastly and Haunter in the…haunted forest. Other than that, the trip here was pretty uneventful."

"You didn't run into any challenging trainers on the road?" His eyebrows raised slightly, an incredulous expression painting his face. His tone was just as surprised, and his face morphed into further concern when she merely shrugged.

"We saw them in town," was all she said and before he could press forward, curious now at how she managed to accomplish that, Mr. Pokémon was bustling back in, folds of cloth bundled in his arms. He was already unwrapping the contents, drawing Professor Oak's attention off the woman and back on the reason she was here: the pokémon egg. Even Totodile sat up, his interest piqued. He sniffed the air hungrily, but stayed himself, remembering he wasn't some scavenging wild pokémon and that he could do just as well with a bowl of packaged food—if the old man had any, that is. He smelled a Meowth somewhere around here, but the feline was nowhere to be seen.

Setting the bundle carefully on the table, Lupin leaned in, and the last piece of clothe was peeled away to reveal the egg she had seen in Professor Elm's email a week ago. The pristine white eggshell was only interrupted by the irregular spots of triangular designs of bright red and cheerful blue. It was rather breathtaking up close and personal and she raised a hand, gingerly and unsure, before she was given the okay by Mr. Pokémon's nod to touch. It was warm and comforting, and she swore she felt something shift inside, the sign of a living being growing inside. A breath escaped her and she smiled.

"I-It's alive."

"Yes, it is. It's just so sad that it was abandoned."

That was a bit of a joy killer. Lupin's expression died down a bit and she stared at him, somewhat stunned. "Abandoned?"

He nodded slowly with a melancholy tracing his weathered face. "I'm personal friends with some breeders outside of Goldenrod City. They hadn't had any Togepi, Togetic, or Togekiss trainers stop by their establishment for a long time, if ever, in fact. And yet, one day, they check the yard and there it was. The egg was sitting in the morning sunlight, alone and undisturbed." Mr. Pokemon paused. "This sometimes happens. Eggs appear at breeders' places, random and erratically. We don't know why. Maybe the parents are unfit and they recognize it and see a viable survival option with humans. Maybe they're dying and can't raise their young or won't be around long enough to see them hatch and no others of their kind to help. Whatever the reason, this event tends to happen. Pokémon eggs appear, and breeders or daycare owners or whoever else has found them take over. But I managed to wheedle my way to having this little one wind up into my possession, charm and wit aside."

He winked and reached to give the egg a brief, fond pat on the shell. "Professor Elm, I knew, would be very excited to have this as a part of his research, but his recent trip out of Johto prevented an immediate pickup. That's where you came in, and I'm glad you were able to make it here." She nodded, not sure how else to respond to that, and studied the egg once more. It really was pretty, if a little odd looking. It was almost endearing, actually, once she was used to the peculiarity. Totodile sniffed from the ground, peeping quietly, curiously.

"Yes, I'm actually quite jealous. If I had known sooner, I would have petitioned for the egg myself, but as much as I'd like to study it, Professor Elm has already laid a claim to it," Professor Oak said with a chuckle. "And I also have a few things on my plate that would make it nearly impossible to make time for hatching a pokémon egg and then studying its hatchling at this point in time. I'm sure I'll be seeing plenty of things regarding it once it's hatched, though."

"Right, well…I should probably head out then, if he wants it that badly." She eyed her bag, stooping to pick it up, then paused when she noticed Totodile, the way he slumped on the ground and looked so haggard. She would admit, she felt a twinge of pity for him. The past few days steeped in the unusual and strained silence told her that he most definitely was not okay. She could smell the faint aroma of fear that wafted off of him from time to time, and the interest and curiosity that had once glittered in his yellow-red eyes was now replaced with suspicion and mistrust aimed solely at her. He was rather disciplined in keeping it locked up tight and not uttering a peep of his concerns, that much else she would admire. But his scent gave away his deeply hidden terror. She felt guilt worm its way into her core and she avoided his eyes, straightening empty-handed.

"I…think we should rest first, though, if that's all right? Just for an hour or so, before we go."

She sensed rather than saw movement below her and caught a peek of blue creeping in closer out the corner of her eye, but she didn't look down at Totodile again. Mr. Pokémon grinned and nodded amicably, carefully wrapping the egg back up, for protection or warmth or both, before carefully handing it to her. She cradled the object and stooped once more, this time to pack her bag with the new object, mindful of its fragility as she further compacted soft things around it as a barrier.

"Of course! You and your pokémon can rest up! I was about to suggest the very same! I can get you anything you like, if you want. Tea, lunch, a nap, whatever you need."

"Coffee," Lupin agreed, tucking the bag under a chair and giving it a pat before standing again. She resisted the urge to correct Mr. Pokémon about Totodile. It was simpler if she didn't bother with the explanation. "If you don't mind. And some food and water for him."

The older man bobbed his head, and turned on his heel, ambling out of the room with a jovial step, leaving her alone once again with Professor Oak. He motioned toward the table and she nodded, settling in an empty chair while he took his previous seat.

"So…you're an associate of Professor Elm, then? Where is that you live?"

"Kanto. The region just over the mountains to the east. Pallet Town is where I've had my lab established and it's where I've been for plenty of years." Professor Oak paused, studying her face, as though he was trying to recall whether he'd seen her before or not. The scrutiny left Lupin feeling a little unnerved, but it passed when he smiled, his expression softening. "Perhaps when you have the time or when you decide to leave the lab in New Bark Town, you could pop over to Kanto and see our sights. There are plenty of them. And I'm sure your Totodile would enjoy it as well."

Once again, she had to swallow back down her reflex to deny that he was hers, that she didn't have any pokémon, that she didn't want any. She said as much that he wasn't already earlier, hadn't she? Instead, she smiled, although it felt more like a grimace to her. Totodile had ambled closer to the professor when she wasn't looking, she suddenly noticed. A silent protest and a protective barrier, she realized. He stared back at her with cold reptilian eyes, unblinking, unwavering. She couldn't read his expression, and that may very well pertain to his lacking many facial muscles to do so, but even if he had, she doubted he'd let her in on his thoughts. He wanted her to know he was upset without saying it and was going to the closest authority figure in the threshold. She looked away and from the corner of her eye, saw him do the same.

"Right. Maybe. I still haven't really decided what I really want to do. I don't even know if anyone is looking for me or missing me yet. Nobody's put in a missing person's notice quite yet, according to the police, and I don't even know where I came from." Her ears pinned a little tighter against her skull beneath her hat, her hands curling in uncertainty and with the urge to fidget, to tinker, to do something other than just sit there idly. The names of other countries sounded strange and felt even stranger on the tongue: Unova, Sinnoh, Hoenn. And those were just a few she could remember. Did she come from any one of them? If so, she was a long way from home.

She felt eyes on her, and it was unnerving at first. She wanted to snap, but courtesy won over personal twitchiness and she kept her gaze locked on a knot of wood before her, eyes going over the grain, twist and spiral of the darker patterns. She felt eyes on her, and at first, didn't want to acknowledge them. She nearly jumped when another hand appeared and dropped on top of hers on the tabletop, giving them a warm squeeze before retreating. It was a brief contact and the warmth of the hand from moments before was fading already, her skin prickling in response, a reminder that the moment had indeed just occurred.

"Perhaps instead of sitting around, waiting for answers to come to you, you should go out looking for them. The world may be big, but chances are that you might run into someone who knows who you are, someone who can help you. I'm not saying you should just up and run for the hills, it's just some friendly advice. Stagnating in one spot might not benefit you, but then again, maybe it would. In the end, it'll be up to you on what you want done."

She stared at him in astonishment, too stunned to say anything in return at first. Her words continued to go left unsaid as Mr. Pokémon came bustling back inside, helping set up the table with several bowls on a tray filled with a delicious smelling chowder, a mug of coffee for Lupin, and some more tea for himself and Professor Oak. Then he left again, returning seconds later with Totodile's dishes.

"You actually came just in time for lunch! Now, why don't we all just relax for a little, before anyone has to go and hit the road again, huh?" He gave a booming laugh, settling in a third empty seat. The setting was surreal to Lupin, as though she had suddenly become an onlooker. It was too normal a setting after being on the road for a week. It felt…normal. It was a nice sentiment to hold on to, even if it was only temporary. She wanted to hold onto that feeling, even if it was in the company of strangers she had only just met, hold onto it and not let go and make the precious few seconds count. Maybe she had this before, and letting herself soak in a similar setting would help.

As the minutes ticked by, and noon waned away, she began to slowly realize that probably wasn't going to happen. No magical fanfare interrupted her idle thoughts, no sudden epiphany struck her down, no flood of memories broke whatever dam was holding them back. She was still the same blank slate with only an airy feeling in her chest, trying to rush a recovery she had no clue how to ease into to begin with.

The departure of Professor Oak was the only interruption to her internal dilemma, breaking the mantra up and helping ease her away from the pitfall of disappointment. They gathered in the small den by the front door, exchanging good byes with one another. When he turned to Lupin, he held his hand out and she grasped it and noted with some surprise he had a very strong grip. He gave it a hard squeeze, watching her carefully.

"Just remember what I told you earlier. You can choose to do nothing or choose to do something about your predicament. It's all up to you," he said, his face quiet and unreadable for a few long moments. Then the seriousness fell away when he gave her that kindly smile again and released his hold on her, turning to the open doorway. Professor Oak dipped a hand in his pocket and with the flick of a wrist, whipped out a miniaturized pokéball settled between his fingertips. "And take care of that Totodile of yours."

The ball doubled in size at the press of a button and it split open, a surge of light springing forward and coalescing into solid shape. Gargantuan wings shot open, a craning neck settled into an S-shaped crook, a body rippling of power and muscle hunched forward. A tail snaked around, its tip burning brighter than campfire. A dusky-orange dragon with a creamy, armored underbelly towered over the professor, regarding its trainer first with narrowed eyes, before turning its gaze on her and Mr. Pokémon. A deep rumble echoed from its broad chest, making Lupin's tail bristle under her coat. Professor Oak patted the dragon on its neck.

"Oh, Champ, you overgrown lizard, stand down," the professor _tut_'ed at the monstrous creature. Immediately, the dragon quieted, although the suspicion-riddled eyes didn't lessen their intensity. She heard a soft peeping gasp at her side and Lupin glanced over to see Totodile sitting beside her, staring at the dragon in awe.

"A _Charizard_…Arceus above, he's _huge_."

The Charizard lowered its shoulders and neck just enough to allow the older man to mount a thing yet sturdy-looking leather saddle she hadn't noticed before lifting back up. Professor Oak gave Mr. Pokémon and herself another farewell wave, before patting the dragon's neck.

"All right, then, on to Goldenrod, Champ," the professor called.

"I'll look forward to yours and Mary's next show!"

Mr. Pokémon laughed and waved as the dragon shot into the sky, wind buffeting those below. Lupin hurriedly rushed a hand up to keep her hat from flying off, eyes never leaving the huge creature as it lifted with ease that belied its bulk into the air. In no time at all, the dragon was a speck in the clear blue sky and then gone altogether, a bone-chilling roar left in its wake as it left.

She would admit, she was rather impressed at the display. She hadn't seen any pokémon that big before. Mr. Pokémon chuckled beside her, as though reading her thoughts and he clapped her on the shoulder.

"He likes to show off his trophy pokémon whenever he gets the chance, the prick. Guess it's the advantages of being a world-renowned pokémon professor. And Champ is just as famous, having been one of his championship showcase teammates back when he took on the championship when he was younger."

"Championship?" Lupin echoed.

"The Pokemon League," Totodile provided from below. "Wait. He used to be younger?"

"The Indigo Plateau," Mr. Pokémon nodded, having not heard Totodile's smartass remark. There was a reverent gleam in the older man's eyes now. "The Pokemon League, in short, is the ultimate goal of many trainers between here in Johto and over in Kanto. Other regions have their own championships and Pokémon Leagues, but the cream of the crop, in my opinion, will always be here at the Indigo Plateau. And I've traveled all over the world." The older man grinned, waving a hand. "But it's not for everyone and not everyone is cut out for it."

He allowed a notable pause to pass between them, a comfortable silence to ease from the subject. He took the momentary reprieve to check the time on his watch and he sighed. "I suppose you should get going so you can get closer to Catallia City. You won't make it until tomorrow, sadly, but at least you'll be halfway there. Thank you again for coming all the way out here."

"Thank you for the hospitality," Lupin returned. She already had her pack, having sensed that her time here was coming to a close and wanting it on hand for a quick departure. Mr. Pokémon nodded, still giving her that friendly smile of his.

"If you're ever up in the area, stop by if you'd like. I enjoy the company and I have an open door policy to traveling trainers whenever they need a rest stop before hitting the homestretch to Violet City."

She gave a placating nod once again, shifting her pack more comfortably onto her shoulders, while Totodile huffed at her side. Lupin thanked him again, shook his hand and turned on her heel to head back to the main road.

_Homestretch_, she thought with a relief. A heavy weight that had been settling in the pit of her chest, an apprehension that soured her stomach, dissipated at the sagging new weight in her pack. She was halfway complete, and soon, this little errand would be over in a few days. Her idle thoughts returned as her feet carried on a monotonous path down the road. Soon, the apprehension she thought she'd been rid of was back tenfold within the hour, a different bitter taste coating the back of her throat. The professor's small words, while humble, left an impact on her thoughts. She did have a choice in whether her situation could improve or not. She could sit and fester, and hope answers came her way. Or, alternatively, she could go out in search of answers, go search for the place or people she was missing from. And, as much as it was annoying to admit, Totodile's words echoed back to her as well from days before.

It ate at her for the rest of the afternoon and she mulled over the choices, but it slowly began to dawn on her that there wasn't really much of a choice. Sitting on her ass was the lazy, roundabout way to get answers, and it was barely that. To go out and broaden her search—that would probably be more beneficial.

Not to mention, it felt more comforting to be out on the road than stuck in a lab. She felt less at home there, confined and under constant watch. While she wouldn't say she felt more so traveling, it gave her a better grasp on her own decisions, instead of feeling helpless, hopeless, a child with no understanding, and constantly looked at with pity and sympathy. She couldn't fault the two back at the lab for their reactions, but it left her sizzling under the scrutiny.

She needed out. And after she returned, she would look into plotting a next plan of action to get her back onto the road again.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**Note: Slow chapter, but look! A pokémon egg and Professor Oak! Shiny distractions! *points and flees***


	10. Chapter Nine: Help

**Chapter Nine:  
Help**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_It is not enough to help the feeble up, but to support him after._  
**-William Shakespeare**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

By the time they'd left Mr. Pokémon's and traveled back down the road headed toward Catallia City, storm clouds were gathering in up on the horizon. They rose above the tree line, creeping along to overtake the cheerful blue sky with a foreboding darkness. It turned gloomy in a hurry, and the wet scent and moist touch of the air foretold of a good set of showers to be coming their way. The balmy temperature slowly began to descend. And yet, despite Totodile's complaints about the cold, he seemed empowered by the impending downpour. His tired demeanor began to pick up in energy, evidenced by his pace becoming less sluggish and more locomotive.

When Lupin finally called it to pitch camp, he was more amicable, but still as quiet as ever. She was glad that she bought the tent she had been carrying, even if it hadn't been necessary until now to use. Lugging it around had begun to feel like she'd bought it for nothing. It was a one-man tent, just enough for herself, her gear, and her sleeping bag all in a snug space. She went through the surprisingly easy setup fairly quickly, putting the poles through designated slots and then settling it on higher ground, well away from dips and furrows that may become mini-lakes of puddles. Just as she finished tucking everything into the safety of the erected tent, the rain began to unexpectedly pour in earnest. She was half soaked within the first few seconds before she ducked inside with a startled yelp, her tail puffing up beneath her coat. Totodile, however, seemed quite happy at the downpour and looked quite at home.

_Of course,_ Lupin thought. _He's a water-type. Why wouldn't he? He thrives in this kind of environment. _

He waddled through the mud not far from Lupin's tent and the rain just sluiced it right off and then he'd shuffle through it again, and the rain would wash it off all over. The never ending cycle didn't seem to bother him. He even settled down at last in a growing puddle, letting the mud and the rain pile up around him while Lupin, watching from the see-through netting as she changed clothes and then dug into a travel-ready meal, quietly wishing the rain could have waited until after she'd had a fire set to give her something warm to eat.

_At least we had something before this, _she thought morosely. She played with her spoon through the dregs of the packaged travel-ready meal. In all honesty, she was still hungry, even after three bowls of the chowder from earlier today. She absently wondered just how much she actually could eat while she finished off her cold meal and guzzled down some fresh water. Eyeing her pack, she peeked at some of the travel-ready pokémon chow, and yanked it out before calling to Totodile for food. He was ignoring her, however, and it took until after she'd poured him some in a dish that she'd noticed this.

"Hey! Food! You know, stuff you eat to gain energy from!"

He didn't answer, continuing to wallow happily away in his muddy water. She sighed. Fine, then, he could stay out there. That was all right with her. She didn't want him dirtying everything up if he felt inclined to come crawling back over this way anyway. She tossed the food back in the bag and then everything else in her satchel before bedding down for the night. The heat was welcome in the sleeping bag and it lulled her for some time in a half-way stage between waking and sleep, while her hands absently picked at the charm and dog tags around her neck.

Her fingers played the most along the dog tags, along the bumps and dips of the engraved letters and numbers, as though trying to decipher some hidden message between their lines.

_Next thing you know, I'll try looking for people's faces in pieces of toast_, she thought sleepily.

Ha. Right, sure, then she'd find out right afterwards that she really _was_ some weird sort of pokémon/human hybrid. The thought made her smile in spite of herself as she curled up and closed her eyes, drifting off to what she hoped would a peaceful sleep.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Of course, peace-by-sleep didn't come. It rarely did these days. Typical.

She was curled inside her sleeping bag, groggily wondering what it had been that had woken her up this time. Her usual tantrum-by-night-terror wakeup call wasn't apparent. She wasn't covered in a sheen of sweat, her heart wasn't jackhammering away in her chest, the blood wasn't rushing like a roaring current through her ears. The patter of rain that had hammered at the canopy of her tent when she had fallen asleep was now absent. She noticed that change right away. It must have stopped raining, she realized, and it was a shame. The white noise had been soothing to listen to, and she could just imagine it all over again. That thought alone nearly lulled her back to sleep, when a piercing squeal cut through relative stillness and she jolted upright. It came again, and then a third time. She was already scrambling up and ripping the zipper to the tent's entrance, ducking her head into the cool night air. She barely felt the chill of the air as her eyes hurriedly searched the campgrounds. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, and the mounting suspicion that something was very wrong continued to fester in the pit of her stomach.

Then she spotted the clods of earth and mud being uprooted just beyond the tree line. Lumps of dark, multi-legged blobs were lobbed into the air, screeches and hisses galore providing a soundtrack to the otherwise eerie stillness of the night. She pushed to her feet and hurried toward the fracas, her heart jumping to her throat and throbbing painfully away when she realized she didn't know where Totodile was.

_That little menace, he'd better not be picking fights again! _

She'd had to drag him away from impending battles in Cherrygrove and other little towns every time they'd passed through, and she knew he resented her for tiptoeing away. She even managed to avoid other trainers by either bypassing or circumnavigating them altogether. He always seemed to be raring for a go at some unsuspecting trainer and their pokémon, and it only seemed to increase the longer they were traveling together. With the exception of the ghost-types in the haunted forest, he also seemed keen on attacking wild pokémon and if Lupin didn't keep an eye on him or planted on her shoulder to ride upon it, he'd waddle off in search of them.

"I was bred for battle, it's in my blood. I was sent to the lab for studies, but in the end, I'm meant to be with a trainer to travel with," he'd told her once when she had asked. For a cold-blooded reptile, he certainly spoke more like a hot-blooded creature, and he had the energy of one as well, despite his protests of cold and sluggishness.

_And the one night I leave him alone, he goes looking. Dammit all. _

Yet, even with the strangeness of it all was that for the past several days, he had been quite subdued and withdrawn, unwilling to look her in the eye for very long like he's done before. She knew something was wrong and she _knew_ it was because of her. He was afraid of her. Ever since the night of the full moon, he'd been afraid of her. The stench of fear, discomfort, and nervousness clung to him and while he'd continued his charade of acting fine yet quiet didn't quite work. He was biding his time, waiting to get back, waiting to get away from her. Trundling off to fight pokémon might have been a coping mechanism, something to fall back on. He expressed his interest in wanting to battle with earnestness, emphasizing that he was only a temporary lab pokémon until Professor Elm presented him to an aspiring trainer needing a starter. He wanted out, and his one chance to see things and get a feel for them, and she had, in a way, ruined it to a point. She'd soiled his experience, tarnished it.

She scowled, although it was half-hearted, as she squelched bare feet through muddy terrain and pushing past the tangled weavings of the underbrush. She couldn't find it in her to be quite as angry at Totodile anymore. Something came sailing out into the air from between the trees. She ducked when a mud clod came sailing her way, ears pinned to her skull, tail puffed up in surprise. Her attention was drawn to the source, and the first thing she found was the blue reptile. The second note of interest that caught her eye was the ground and how it simply writhed and squirmed and scuttled along over and under itself. It took a few moments to fully register the menagerie of pokémon that had too many legs, bulbous bodies, the way they sprawled not only land, but also up in the trees and how some were even hanging in midair…

_Spiders_, her head supplied suddenly in recognition. _Spider pokémon._ She felt a chill roll down her spine, creeping along at a slow, mind-numbing pace when she finally observed that there was a white noise reverberating in the air, thrumming the stillness in a monotonous cycle. Then the white noise grew in clarification and she heard the chant wrapped in the proverbial din.

"Meat, meat, meat, meat!"

It was a mantra for blood, and it was only then that she was really seeing what was happening: Totodile encircled by the spindly-legged creatures, his scales glistening not with water but with webbing and it was hindering his movements. He snapped at an acid-green and black spider as it encroached closer on the trapped reptile. In response, the spider threw up its abdomen and hissed back. Totodile squealed and curled against the ground with a fearful look in his yellow-red eyes, mouth gaping in an attempt to scare right back. His legs were tangled, his tail flopped uselessly behind him and his skull was barely visible.

"Meat, meat, meat!"

The chanting continued, the spiders whispering away with glee as they pressed closer. One spat a gob of webbing at the still-struggling reptile and the piercing scream at being trapped escaped Totodile's throat. That was what she had heard when she awoke: the moans of an ensnared animal, instinct butting in over logic, and a primordial fear taking over. Lupin was moving quicker than her mind was working. She snapped a low-hanging branch off from a tree, the wood creaking in protest as she did so before she stepped forward with care. The closest little body she encountered was barely two feet away from where she'd been standing. It saw her too late and was already sailing into the air with a protesting scream when she struck. The chanting halted after she hit her third and fourth spider, sending them sailing into the darkness to strike a tree, a bush, the ground. Their legs flailed wildly as some spun about and landed on their backs. The rest of the nest turned to face the new threat, all at once ignoring the thrashing, wailing Totodile still caught in the sticky web.

Ominous black eyes stared at her from all highs and lows, their mandibles moving independently of one another as they regarded the werewolf. That dreading chill wormed its way into her spine again, while her stomach slithered lower into her abdomen until it dropped away completely.

Then, "Meat."

"Meat, meat." Another chimed in.

"Meat, meat, meat." Two added in unison.

Soon, the whole nest was chanting once again in unison. Lupin's tail puffed up in alarm as some of those she had knocked away were rolling over onto their legs or were getting assistance from others. Totodile quaked, his jaws clacking open and closed, hisses drawing out from between, but the noise was nearly drowned out by the din from the spider pokémon. Lupin rapidly tried to remember what they were, yet the name kept escaping her. They were small, but they had numbers, she knew. Numbers could mean a lot. Numbers could turn favor in a fight.

Then she saw another shape moving, creeping along in the shadows of the tree top branches above. It was moving slowly but steadily, and it was considerably larger than the littler green and black bodies shuffling closer to her. She smacked the branch at several that were encroaching too close to her personal space, distracted. They screeched in pain as they went sailing. Her eyes were off the larger shadow for a brief second, but it was enough. The revealed creature was another spider, but this was much larger, as she suspected. Its colours were muted, but reminiscent to something she'd label as poisonous: soft maroon and banded with dusky purple and muddy yellow. Its legs were longer and thinner like sabers, and decidedly more deadly-looking compared to the fatter legs of the smaller spiders, as was the intimidating horn that decorated the helm of its head. The littler ones had stubbier horns, but she doubted either of them was any less effective in an attack if utilized.

It crawled along the trunk of an especially large oak tree, its girth bobbing along as it settled on the ground. It was nearly as tall as she was, and she wasn't very tall to begin with. It regarded her with the same black eyes as its smaller counterparts, its mandibles tipped with lethal fangs rubbing over one another like hands rubbing together. The presence of the larger spider, however, had stilled the smaller ones and they stopped stalking closer to her. The nest and its newly arrived larger patron were still between her and the still-struggling Totodile, however.

"Intruder," the larger spider announced; its voice light and feminine. The little green ones mimicked her, echoing the word in a chilling whisper that overlapped one another. The spider advanced a step. It was unperturbed by the brandished makeshift weapon in Lupin's hand.

Lupin spared a quick glance at Totodile. Their eyes met for the briefest second. She could see he was terrified and she could taste and smell the fear stink as well, it was so strong, so potent. In that instant, it made her afraid. For all the bravado and know-it-all air he sported, he was still so young, putting up a brusque front. He may annoy her at times, exasperate her at others, but she had stuck it out this long with the little reptile and in return, he tolerated her. She sure as hell wasn't going to let him get done in by some overgrown arachnids. In a small way, she felt somewhat attached to the little bugger, vices and all. They were starting to become endearing, even. She was surprised by it when it struck her in that second, but she had to force the shock of it all to be put to the side. Now wasn't the time.

She aimed the branch she was using as a makeshift bat at the female spider, who she was now assuming was the queen of the nest before her.

"Let me get the little guy, and nobody gets hurt," she barked out, loud and clear so she couldn't be misunderstood. The whispers had continued, even in the thrall of the queen's arrival, although when the large female stirred at last, everything fell to an eerie hush. She advanced another step with a slender striped limb. She kept her dark gaze pinned on Lupin, unblinking and unwavering. It was unnerving and she felt another chill jolt down her backside like lightning.

"Intruder," the spider announced again. The littler ones echoed her, as though in a trance. They took a step forward, the first bout of real movement since the queen's arrival. They chattered incessantly in that whispery tone and it resonated into the darkness. Lupin bared her teeth in warning and tightened her grip on the branch. White-hot indignation grew in her chest and spread out to her limbs, heating her from the coldness that had enveloped her since she first laid eyes on the multi-limbed creatures. It gave her a much-needed kick start and she advanced herself, stomping a bare foot hard on the squishy earth. It had a much desired effect of startling some of the closer spider pokémon into retreating several steps. The rest stopped altogether. The maroon queen hissed.

"Intruder!"

"I get it! I'm on your land! And I'm so _very_ sorry, so we'll pack up and leave! Just let me get him and we'll be out of here in a jiffy!"

"Meat," the queen spat back. "Meat for my children. Cannot let you go. Must feed my children."

Lupin, for the briefest interlude, felt the cold rushing back in, overwhelming the heat that had encouraged her seconds before and it froze her to her spot. It didn't take a genius to figure out the queen's meaning. She darted her gaze around to the little beady black eyes that were locked onto her. They chattered away, their mandibles moving in a frenzy around their mouths, the whispered ghostly word of '_meat'_ echoing in the air. Lupin snarled again and brandished the branch. She swatted at two of the green spiders, and was about to swipe at another when the branch was suddenly yanked from her hands. She threw her head back to see some of the creepy crawlers had snuck up into the branches above and were dangling the branch by tendrils of webbing.

Something struck her arm and her chest simultaneously, something sticky and wet. She looked to see the same silvery-white threads that had trapped Totodile were now covering her. Another tendril spat at her legs and feet, then with a hard yank, she was sent sprawling out on her backside, her head suddenly throbbing with a dull ache from impact. Probing little digits began to poke at her body, and she felt the sticky tendrils pinning her down, her legs first and then her arms. A hideous pair of mandibles presented itself in her face, and she gagged at creature. Black eyes stared down, emotionless and cold, while tiny fangs tipping the mandibles speared forward, inches away from Lupin's face.

These little monsters! Is this what they did to unsuspecting trainers that traveled through this area? Did they attack unknowing trainers and their pokémon and drag them off into the night, never to be heard of or seen again? Fear blossomed in her suddenly.

_I'll never find out who I am. And whoever might be missing me, they might never know I—_

She stopped short of that thought, refusing to finish it. No. No, no, _no_. She was _not_ going to end up as bug food. She wasn't going to go quietly into the night; she wasn't going to go out in such a lame and piteous way. And she sure as hell wasn't going to allow Totodile to die this way either. If anything, he would rather it be by tooth and claw, face to face and in battle, not in some predator's nest, bound and gagged and sipped up like soup.

She wasn't going to let that happen, she _couldn't_.

_And that egg—it'll never hatch at the lab like it's supposed to, I can't let it die out here, either._

A low rumble built up in her chest, building until it became an almighty bellow that startled several of the crawling bodies on top of her. Some of them leapt away in the midst of shock, letting out a pitiful squeal of fear as it did. They hadn't covered her face yet, and the red-hot fire in her chest began to grow anew, spreading out to her limbs again, this time all the way through. The maroon queen came scuttling over to pin Lupin down one with one of her spindly-tipped limbs. Despite their thin appearance, they were incredibly strong. The werewolf was right in her assumptions; it was as deadly as it looked. She could feel its tip piercing through the webbing and her clothing, stabbing down to her flesh, but only just. Lupin grunted, pushing the pain aside as a minor annoyance when the queen loomed over her face, her mandibles working in that fidgety manner of theirs.

"Meat for my children, yes. Not much meat, but meat for my babies to feast off of."

"Feast! Feast! Yes, feast! Feast!"

The fire was crawling up her throat and it tickled, almost like a cough at the back of her throat, but warmer and more pleasant to endure. Lupin glared at the black gaze staring down at her, trying not to gag on the breath that wafted out of the spider's mouth.

"Hate to disappoint you, but I ain't lettin' that happen, you bitch."

Heat drifted over her like a veil, settling into her bones like an old acquaintance. It was a strange sensation, and yet, it felt familiar and alien all at the same time. The spider queen hissed, jerking her skull back and forth in alarm, removing the appendage that had been pinning Lupin down. The webbing that had confined her suddenly felt looser. She experimented just how loose by ripping her leg out of its bonds and smashing it into the side of the spider's abdomen. The little green ones squealed and scrambled away as an abrupt flare of light flashed into being.

Sparks danced into the air, flames flicking to life, even if only briefly. The spider queen wailed, having been thrown to her side. Her legs twitched in the air, jerking spasmodically to right her bulbous girth. Lupin rolled to her side and pushed up to her feet, glad to be back upright and not down and at the mercy of the creepy little creatures. The webbing that had bound her moments before was burning away and the smell of acrid smoke filled her lungs, tinging the air with its harsh fragrance.

"What tricks, what tricks? What manner of pokémon are you? Not human, not trainer, no. Fire-type? Fire kills!" She hissed again, but Lupin could sense the fear now, could see it reflected in her eyes and off her shiny carapace. Lupin paused at that. Reflection. Light. It was too bright to be moonlight, too dense in this part of the forest. No, this was more like…

She looked down, as though fully aware of what was going on for the first time.

And she stared.

Flames licked at her hands, but her flesh didn't curl and blister and blacken like she had expected them to. It tickled at her skin, pleasant and heartening, and a sense of coziness washed over her as she stared into the flames, watched the tendrils dance and twirl. She flexed her fingers experimentally and found them to be completely fine and not stiff from pain.

Fire…she could create fire? Out of thin air?

_Well, I just keep getting weirder and weirder now, don't I? At least I can save money on matches and lighter fluid now._

Her gaze settled back on the spider queen, who was now upright upon her spindly limbs, although her pitch-black eyes were no more. They were purple, dusky and muted like the rest of her, and those eyes were staring at the flames that licked at the werewolf's hands with intense hatred. She bared her fangs at Lupin and hissed in fear and resentment. The horde of green spider pokémon had the good sense to flee while they could, leaving their queen and matron behind. She stood between her and Totodile, who was still bound by webbing on the ground, immobile and unable to escape. Lupin snarled and advanced, menacing in every step and weaving her arms back and forth. The spider hissed and stood her ground for as long as she could, unwilling to abandon even the tiniest scrap of prey before instinct won out.

She scuttled away from the licking flames with a screech, brandishing her fangs in a failed attempt to scare Lupin.

"Out! Out! Put it out! Fire burns! Destroys! Kills!"

"Damned straight it does," Lupin muttered darkly, herding the spider queen away from the prone form on the ground. She jerked her hands out, as though to swipe at the spider. Flames shot out at the motion, extending her reach. It rushed forward and licked the arachnid's exoskeleton. She screamed and scurried away from the heat and light, disappearing into the cover of cool darkness. Her howls could still be heard, but they were retreating and fading away quickly. Soon there was no more of them, but Lupin growled all the same, every inch of her tail bristling. She stared over the grounds, almost expecting the creepy crawlies to come inching their way back where she wasn't looking, but only the dancing shadows created by her flames could be made out.

Only when she was sure they were truly gone did she lurch forward toward Totodile's still form. He was nearly indiscernible, his entire body covered in the silvery weavings. She hesitated on touching him, afraid of the flames might catch his scales by accident. She looked to both of her hands, momentarily feeling at a loss.

_I made the fire come to life. I can put it out, can't I? _

She focused on it dying, concentrated on it going out by her will alone. If she had somehow made it start up seemingly out of nowhere, then she could do the same in reverse. Slowly, the flames died, one by one and her hands returned to normal, no longer aglow. The heat died as well, and the chill of the night came rushing back, although she barely noticed as she immediately tore into the webbing covering Totodile.

Knocking a bulk of it aside, she carefully lifted him up, immediately worried by his limp form and shallow breathing.

"Hey…" She called softly, pulling him closer and untangling bits of web as she did. She gave him a faint shake. "Hey, wake up. They're gone."

_Spiders, spiders, spiders, what do I know about them? Spiders are hunters, they ambush prey or lay in wait for prey to get caught in their webs and then they…oh no. _

Spider venom.

She immediately began turning the little reptile over, carefully searching with her eyes and hands before her fingertips slipped in something wet along the side of his neck. At first, she thought it to be blood, but the scent was too acrid and noxious. Then she hurriedly wiped it on her clothes, but her fingertips were tingling already.

She pressed her ear to his body, heard his faint wheeze of breath and was startled by the sudden, half-hearted squirming in her arms.

"Stupid…why didn't you run when you had a chance? They could've…gotten you too. They almost _did_."

He paused, panting hard. Lupin shook her head. "I'm fine, see? Nothing to worry about, I scared them off." she replied, trying to keep her tone light and unburdened by the heaviness her thoughts were being weighed down by. She didn't think he saw—he didn't seem to know. She pushed it to the side, focusing back on spiders.

_Spiders. Venom. Don't some spiders cause necrosis? We need to get to town, get some antivenin in him. Medical attention. We need to get help._

The swirling chaos in her head came to halt at that. She had to get to a town._ Focus on the goal of getting to town. Pack up, leave. Start now. Don't panic. Just go pack, then leave._

She pushed up to her feet, trotting back to camp, ignoring the mud that now speckled her pants and feet. He stirred in her arms again, his movements sluggish and tired.

"Where're we going?"

"We need to get back to a town."

"Closest is almost a half-day away…Catallia City, we won't make there."

She halted on the spot at those words, realizing they were true. The next town was nearly a half-day's journey away. Mr. Pokémon's home was nearly the same distance. Either way, his chances of living were dwindling, no matter which way she went.

Hope withered in her chest at the admission that even if she tried, she might lose Totodile.

_But I can't just give up. I can't just…do nothing and let him _die_. How long does this venom take before it kills? If I run, maybe I can make it._

He may annoy her, but again, she felt a rather late-blooming affection for the stubborn blue brat. He was the only one who put up with her back at the lab, even if it wasn't entirely out of good intentions or even good-hearted interest. It irked her, but she hadn't exactly been a shining example when she returned barb for barb. And even when he was scared, he tried to put up a good front, and it was something she could respect, but more importantly it was something she could _relate_ to. She was afraid of never remembering who she was, of the memories of whoever she used to know permanently erased. She was afraid of being left to wander aimlessly about without a clue as to who she used to be. She knew he was afraid of never making it out in the real world with a trainer, like he'd been bred to do. He spoke too often about leaving and traveling, and the yearning in his voice belied his dread of never going. He was too restless for the life of a lab pokémon. He deserved to travel. He deserved to do that with the trainer that chose him, whoever they may be. She didn't want to be the cause for that dream to end.

She stroked the top of his head, then gently settled him on the ground as she started bustling to break down camp. He remained where she left him, slumped and watching with half-lidded, glazed over eyes. She packed her bag, carefully arranging everything so that the egg wouldn't be crushed to one side of her pack. Trash was tossed into a wrapper, then stowed away. She hurried with breaking the tent down.

"How long?"

"How long…what?"

"How long do we have?" She snapped the poles down, folded them up and tossed them to the side as she began haphazardly throwing the tent into lumpy folds. Her ears flicked back and forth as she waited intently for an answer. When it wasn't forthcoming, she whirled, her heart thudding with dread. No—

He was still watching her. She swallowed past the thick, painful lump in her throat.

"_How long?_" She repeated firmly.

"A few hours. Spinarak poison is potent. I think I would prefer Beedrill poison, though. I'd have a little longer." He paused, then added as an afterthought, "Or maybe not. They gore out big holes in their victims. Poison doesn't get a chance to work, not when you're bleeding out too quickly for it to do its job."

She didn't like how glib and nonchalant he sounded. She didn't like that he seemed to readily accept he might not make it. It rubbed her the wrong way how…how _complacent_ he sounded with it. _That isn't right. That isn't _right_._

"Don't talk like that. We'll make it," she said, the words pouring out before she had to chance to filter them. She heard him snort indignantly.

"I don't want to die. But the reality is that I most likely will."

"Don't say that!"

"Why? It's true. Why should I delude myself into thinking I have a chance—" he winced, cutting off his retort and curled into a semi-tight ball. Lupin's hands were shaking as she bundled the tent up and tied it down with the poles. "Why do you care so much? You don't like me. I know you don't."

She hesitated in answering, still not quite ready to admit aloud that she was, in a way, coming to like the smug little Totodile. He was…_endearing_, if she was to put it nicely. Perhaps it was the quiet few days without him aiming sharp words at her and the relatively quiet hours that had given her room to think. She didn't want to stay at the lab any more than Totodile. She could relate to his want to leave.

"…you shouldn't accept dying so quickly. It's pissing me off," she said at last, breaking free of her thoughts. She heard him snort behind her as she threw on her pack after clipping the one-man tent into place. Then she attended to her socks and shoes, grimacing at the dirtied mess of her clothing, but reasoned she'd rather put up with mud between her toes than a corpse on her hands.

"For someone who isn't remotely human…you sound very human right now."

She paused in the middle of lacing her boot up. Her breath stilled in her chest at the comment. She spared a fleeting glance at the prone Totodile, before returning to her task. "Maybe I was raised by humans."

He snorted. "Who would go through the headache of raising you?"

His words, while sharp, didn't feel as prickly as they could have been. It was almost teasing. She leapt to her feet, the pack swinging unevenly, but she balanced out quickly enough and trotted over, scooping up Totodile in one swift move. He barely protested, his body limp as she cradled him against her chest.

"Do you even know where you're going?"

She remained quiet, ears twitching, her eyes flicking upwards to gaze at the moon, remembering how it had risen on the horizon and how low it was dipping now on the opposite bank. The stars themselves were easy to pinpoint as well for further reference. She turned on her heel and took off back toward the main road.

"This is the most you've said to me since the full moon," she huffed at him as she bounded over a fallen tree. She heard his breath rattle into a croaky sigh. He didn't respond, not at first. The path loomed ahead and she burst through the underbrush and back onto it. The faint glow of the moon's light was stronger in the open than it was under the forest's canopy.

"I didn't believe you," he said at last. He curled closer toward her. "When you called yourself a monster, I mean. I didn't believe you."

She felt a small twinge at his words, but said nothing. She felt him shiver in her arms.

"We'll worry about the semantics of that later. Just—" What do you say to someone who has venom creeping along inside of them? She felt her indignation rising up again and before she could filter her words, she blurted out, "What in the hell were you thinking, going after those things? What were you trying to prove?"

The forest on either side of the road was blurring past them, faster than what should have been normal, but neither of them were paying much attention to that, not really. Lupin was keeping a vague eye on the road, while Totodile was busy sucking in breath, his breath rattling with each inhalation. Pain flared in his chest, but it seared like the touch of a red-hot brand in his neck. Each breath hurt to take in and hurt worse to expel. Every pounding step Lupin took rocked through to his core, making him shudder and quake in agony. He wanted her to simply stop, but he couldn't get the words out. Instead, he clamped down on the urge to snap at her, like he would have done before, and answered her in earnest.

"I told you, I was bred to be a battler. The only downside was my breeders picking me to be sent to the professor's lab before I could be given to a trainer like the rest of my nest-mates."

"So you went picking a fight with a nest of those _things_?"

She felt like kicking herself for digging into him about this, here and now, but the words had simply slipped out before she could properly register them. There was no way of taking them back now. He didn't answer at first, his breathing wheezy and stilted. The sense of urgency renewed itself and Lupin kicked up her pace once more.

"I'm sorry."

Then it all went downhill and she nearly tripped when she tried to stop. She ended up grabbing at a passing tree trunk for support to slowly steady herself. Her limbs tingled with adrenaline, and yearned to keep going, but her muscles began clamoring for attention, a slow ache working their way into them almost as soon as she stopped. Her chest heaved from the change in pattern while her head buzzed from the rush, but she ignored all that as best she could, staring down at the shivering reptile in her arms. Alarm rose at the sensation, when she realized that the venom was more effective than she realized. _He really doesn't have that long. _

His words were another matter entirely and it struck her hard several belated seconds later. She continued to stare at the side of his head. His eyes were closed, but the one she could see peeped open to look back at her. They were glassy and his eyelid drooped. The secondary eyelid covered nearly half of his eye, but she could see the pain behind it. He dug a paw into her forearm.

"I shouldn't have wandered off, but…I was tired of you holding me back. I got reckless. I did this."

They held one another's gazes for a few moments longer before Lupin tore hers away and started down the main road again. Whatever minute grudge or slight she may have felt in the past few weeks toward Totodile, they melted away in an instant. They weren't forgotten, but she felt in that moment, that they could be forgiven. He was still young, she reasoned, and had been out to rile her up, and bit by bit, he'd succeeded.

He was quiet for longer this time around, perhaps chafed by the uncomfortable silence and her lack of answering to his apology. He wriggled in her arms, but she only adjusted her grip to hold him better. She was moving quickly, he realized, so much faster than he would have credited her for, given her short legs. But by Legendaries, she was moving _fast_. Even if the ride in her arms wasn't smooth, she was attempting to prevent from jostling him too much and he didn't have it in him to rebuff this from her. He didn't have it in him to tell her to put him in his pokéball, either. Not that he would expect her to, that was. Even if she had, he suspected he'd pass away inside without her knowing until they'd reach the closest Pokémon Center. He felt a twinge of rejection at the idea in an instant. He couldn't do that to her, but he was loathe to think what was worse: dying in his pokéball or dying in her arms.

He felt tired; he'd used all his energy fighting that horde of Spinarak. At first it had been a few, but then they just kept pouring out of the woodworks. Then he'd wasted his precious energy and time trying to escape their String Shot attacks, only to end up tangling himself further in their webbing. If there was anyone between the two of them that was stupid, it was him. By now, he was beginning to feel the crippling pain that the Spinarak venom was inflicting on him. It was worming its way into his limbs, he could feel it making every nerve ache and cry until it sang with electric jolts and fire. He wanted nothing more than to slide into a pool of cool water to relieve his body, even if he knew it really wouldn't do much. Just the thought gave him a temporary bliss to hold on to. But soon, even that wasn't enough to drive away the impending thoughts on the prevalent situation to the forefront of his mind. If a pokémon was poisoned or burned or paralyzed, and immediate help was next to impossible, it was only a matter of time before nature took its natural course. He was frightened to die, but he could only accept that he was beyond help. Holding onto false hope would leave him bitter and resentful until his last moments and he didn't want to be clouded by it. It wasn't in him, just as he knew it wasn't something he could see in his parents, his nest-mates. They all knew and understood, just as he did.

And the fact that this woman, this impossible, frustrating _oddity_ was refusing to admit what he'd already accepted, was beginning to grate on his scales the wrong way. He didn't care how fast she was; if she didn't have the speed of the Legendries or an even an Arcanine, then why bother? It was a question he couldn't answer. He hated not knowing.

He listened to the rhythmic pounding of her heart while his head pressed against her chest, the even breaths she took as she continued to sprint down the dirt road. They wove through bends and twists on the path, her stride never seeming to slow.

"I thought you wanted to be alone when you left," he finally said at last. "No pokémon. Why are you fighting the inevitable?"

_Why do you give a damn when I gave you such a hard time, ever since you came to the lab, _he wanted to add. But the question was stuck in his throat. He was surprised at his own inability to voice what he usually wouldn't have cared to say beforehand. Especially to her.

"I told you before; seeing you just giving up and rolling over to die pisses me off. I'm not gonna let you do that. So buck the fuck up and try to see a silver lining in this. I'm getting you to a center whether you like it or not!"

The words seethed past her tongue like a whip, striking him hard and fast. It left him stunned and speechless. It was then he heard her own fear tinging her voice, seeping in from between the lines. He felt another spasm of pain riddle him, this time to his core and he couldn't suck up the whimper in time. The arms around him tightened again, a reassuring squeeze, and he let himself go limp in her arms, too drained after bracing himself from the shockwave that continued to roll over him, too exhausted to argue the futility of her task. A part of him wanted to chastise her for not buying any medicines for him, something he would have gladly pointed out prior to her full moon excursion. But that change had instilled in him a primordial fear against a larger predator, and it struck him as odd that he would see her as such, and yet, it was fitting. For all his bravado, he knew that challenged her toe-to-toe would be a fool's errand. He kept his tongue this time, recognizing that chastising her now wouldn't make a difference, not out here in the middle of nowhere, far from town, far from the relative safety and secure distance of a Pokémon Center.

They were still so far away…it seemed like an impossible task to achieve.

Pain seized him again and he tried bracing himself anew, focusing on blocking out the pain. Just because he accepted he was going to die, didn't mean he was going to enjoy it or that it was going to painless. It also didn't mean he wanted to die. Poison wasn't a physical enemy he could fight against. It was a phantom that crawled within and destroyed from the inside out. If they had any antidote, he'd feel more at ease and less willing to accept something like this. He wasted no more words, too engulfed with trying to keep the pain at bay, to try and block it out and make this more bearable. He didn't know how much time had passed. Every second was an eternity as the Spinarak venom worked its way into his system, dredging its toxic tendrils in his blood, his muscles, his organs, his very bones. He was sure he must have passed out at times, before the agony reeled him back to consciousness and set fire anew to his body. He was sure those few times he had been unresponsive, however, that Lupin also had something to do with shaking him awake again.

"Almost there. Just hang on. Don't sleep, don't sleep. Stay awake," her voice suddenly cut through, faint and tinny to his ears. Every breath felt as though an Arbok was squeezing his lungs. The places where the Spinarak had bitten into his more sensitive flesh raged on, a fire in his blood that was unbearable. He was too tired to writhe and wriggle. He felt as helpless now as he did trapped under all that webbing and a terror seized his heart. He just wanted it to end, to go away and stop hurting…

"I said stay awake! We're almost there! It's _right there_, just hang on, dammit!"

He winced at the voice, eyes squeezed shut and both sets of eyelids firmly clamped over them for extra protection. Arceus above, it was _bright_, a kaleidoscope of colours that blinded him and made him cringe as the sensitivity began to intensify the longer it lingered. Why couldn't she have just gone on her way like she'd wanted the minute she stepped out of the professor's lab? She only gave half a damn because he was the professor's pokémon, after all. She only let him tag along because of the professor as well. But he would understand if things went awry, if things didn't go according to plan…right? He'd like to think so. He did only as the pokémon researcher had asked. He had escorted the werewolf, even if it wasn't a complete job.

The voice above was more distant than before, the words too garbled and indistinct to decipher. He barely felt the extra pair of hands handling him now, both with a care and firmness reminiscent of a medical provider. He was listening without attention or care to a conversation that was about as clear as having thick Mareep's wool stuffed in his ears. He was finally numb to the pain, it was finally _gone_. Or his body was just beyond feeling it any longer. Either way was fine, it was absolute bliss. Except that damned bright light was still present, piercing through even the armored lids of his eyes and he just wished it would go out.

Then he could rest easy.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	11. Chapter Ten: Care

**Chapter Ten:  
Care**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how****Pokémon****look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note:_**** Thanks to those who reviewed! I'm so glad that you enjoy the story enough to reread it! I hope that you keep enjoying this story, my lovelies! :D**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_I know you're in there. I can hear you caring."_**  
-Dr. House, "**_**House M.D.**_**"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Everything hurt; his back, his legs, his tail, and oh, his head. His poor aching skull, it felt like a Dodrio was drilling holes into it. It hurt almost as bad as the sides of his neck. He noticed all of this slowly but surely when he gradually slipped out of the blissful ignorance of the black, and his hurting body began to clamor for his conscious attention. But he was warm, and that was something to be grateful for. It eased most of the pain away, relaxing his tired muscles and he curled a little tighter, and regretted the action almost immediately. A shockwave of pain struck him suddenly, making everything writhe in agony as it rapidly splintered out to every nook and cranny of his scaled hide and he let out a poorly contained wail. His neck especially throbbed and ached, the very last thing to ebb away in its tempo. It didn't completely dissipate, however, as though it was a physical reminder that he couldn't move as much as he wanted. So, he experimented, turning and stretching and inching his body along, so he could draft an idea of what he could and couldn't do, where he could turn and what would be impossible to do at this time.

His groggy mind began to leisurely clear and he felt considerably more like himself as the minutes continued to tick by and he came to a full evaluation of his limits and boundaries. He couldn't turn his neck, especially toward the right, like he was used to, but the left side was more forgiving and bearable.

The question of, _where am I_, was immediately answered as scents slowly began to filter in. He quietly and quickly processed the familiarity of his settings. He was in a medical recovery room, with clean tiled floors, clean white walls, and the light settings dimmed. The fragrance of antiseptic and bleach crawled so deeply into his lungs, he was quite convinced he'd never get it out of his system. The quiet hum of machinery greeted him next, low hums and gentle beeps that lulled him briefly, a source of familiarity. He spotted them beside the bed he was on. The bedding consisted of warming blankets, although most had been thrashed to the side in an unkempt heap. He carefully angled his body to twirl in a circle, but stopped at a figure sprawled in a visitor's chair beside the bed he was in.

Dirtied, disheveled, and appearing utterly exhausted, Lupin was the picture perfect image of a lone traveler, right down from the dusty traveling satchel to her muddied coat, jeans and boots. She looked like she hadn't even bothered to really clean up. Her head was slumped against her chest, arms crossed loosely on her abdomen, her legs splayed in a makeshift attempt to get comfortable in a considerably _un_comfortable-looking hospital chair.

_She actually did it. She got me here. _

He stared in disbelief at the woman snoozing in front of him. She had done what he thought impossible. A whole half day's travel—well _over_ half a day, in fact, now that he thought about it—and she'd made it in…

Well, he wasn't sure how long it had taken, but it couldn't have been more than a few hours, tops.

He wondered how long he'd been out, but the thought was chased away when a door he'd overlooked in the corner of the room opened. It admitted a woman into the room, her mousy brown hair pulled into a bun. She swept a hand over her skirt and smiled upon seeing Totodile staring at her rather critically.

"Oh, good! You're awake! Nurse Joy was beginning to get worried," she greeted, looking him over before venturing closer. "Try not to move around too much. Your neck is still swollen from where the poison had been administered at the injection site."

Pausing beside Lupin, the woman stooped to gently shake the werewolf's shoulder. She jumped backward just in time when Lupin bolted up right with a snarled gasp, a fist raised and clenched in midair, ready to strike. She halted mid-swing, suddenly aware of where she was. The mousy-haired nurse backed away, looking torn from calling for help and wanting to resolve the situation herself. Lupin stared, unseeing for a few seconds, heaving air to and from her lungs before calming and lowering her upraised arm, slowly adopting a slightly abashed look.

"I—sorry, I don't—I'm sorry, I didn't mean…please, don't—don't do that. I don't like being touched. I'm sorry." She panted out, colour briefly flushing her cheeks in mild embarrassment. She opened her mouth to say more, but stopped with her mouth half-open when she noticed him staring at her. Relief flooded her features and the stiffness in her frame melted in an instant.

"Oh, thank god, you're awake. You slept for two days; I was starting to get really worried about you."

The nurse, briefly forgotten, chose that moment to clear her throat, drawing attention to herself. She avoided Lupin's mismatched, piercing stare, and found better focus on Totodile instead.

"If you hadn't gotten here when you did, your Totodile would most definitely have died. Spinarak, especially newly hatched babies, have extremely potent venom. They tend to inject more than they need until they can gauge how to dispense it properly after they've gained proper experience."

The woman hesitated, then added to Lupin with a faint nod. "You should probably report the nest to the police station. We've had problems in the past with that particular Ariados and her brood before. They tend to migrate, and we'll have a brief period where it's safe to travel between here and Violet City, but around this time of year, she comes back and has a whole nest invading the forest." She frowned, her brow furrowing with worry. "We've had trainers and their pokémon disappear without a trace because of that. The police usually team with the Johto Ranger Division and sweep the forest for them, try to relocate them further away from human establishments, but that Ariados, she tends to come back. It makes traveling hazardous and pitching camp after dark even more so."

Lupin sighed, exhaling loudly and nodding, slumping in her seat once more. "I'll be sure to do that. Thank you." She glanced over at Totodile, studying him, then looked to the nurse again. "How long until he gets discharged?"

"We just need to do one final physical to make sure he's able to travel. I'll let Nurse Joy know that he's awake and that you'll need a prescription for an antidote written up. Do you know where the pharmacy is at?"

"Downstairs on the first floor, I remember."

"Right. Well, just hold on for a few minutes and I'll grab Nurse Joy." To Totodile, she added with a warm smile, "I'm glad to see you up and about, little guy."

Then she took her leave, closing the door quietly behind her as she went. There was a momentary interlude of relative silence, before it was broken by the exhausted, but relieved sigh from Lupin. Totodile looked to the woman, who, if it were even possible, slumped further in her chair.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, or I swear I'll make a pair of boots out of you," she griped, although there was no hint of animosity in her tone whatsoever. Not like there used to be when she spoke to him. Her brow wrinkled and creased with worry as she regarded him carefully, mismatched eyes studiously scouring every inch of him that she could see. She sat up a little more, suddenly looking abashed.

"How…how're you feeling?"

He snorted. "Like death warmed over. But overall…alive."

Her lips twitched, but they didn't quite reach a smile. She cast her eyes downward, staring at the floor, her lips slowly turning into a hard frown.

"I should have smelled those bastards and I didn't. I let us…" She let herself peter out, looking morose and troubled. "I should have checked the area before pitching camp like I'd been doing the past few nights."

"It was starting to rain."

"I can still smell through it. Rain is a nuisance, but it ain't a magical barrier that suddenly kills my nose. That ain't an excuse."

He stared at her, bewildered for several long moments. "You didn't know," he quietly said, then added, "I…I didn't even know."

He felt very small, all of a sudden. He liked to puff up and play the big, bad Feraligatr, but in truth, he knew he was nothing more than a tiny Totodile. He cast his eyes downward. "I didn't tell you to stop through any pokémart and stock up on supplies. If we'd had any medicine, we wouldn't have needed to rush here. You didn't know that and I did. I should have told you."

She pinned him then with a dark stare that sent a chill crawling up and down his spine. Not that he'd ever admit it aloud, but it did slam a lance of fear into his gut, if only for a moment.

"Well, we didn't. And because of that, you wanted to sit there and die. Do you have _any_ idea how much that pisses me off? Just—just to sit there and do _nothing_ and just _die_? What the hell is wrong with you? If you were bred to be a fighter, then that means fighting _everything_, not just other pokémon, doesn't it?"

"You don't understand," he muttered, turning to avoid her stare.

"Humour me."

That alone both caught him off guard and didn't surprise him. The juxtaposition of the response had him, for once, floundering for a feasible response. He consented to blame his untimely response on the medication addling with his headspace.

"Some pokémon…" he paused, trying to find a way to word things properly. "Some pokémon can…they can think of possibilities. Abstractions. Outside the box. They can…"

Words momentarily failed him and he choked on his poorly concocted explanation before realization dawned on him.

"If you hadn't been able to get here as fast, would you have still thought you could have gotten me here alive?"

"I sure as hell would've tried," Lupin responded, giving him a puzzled look. "And?"

"I didn't. I didn't believe you could. I didn't believe I would make it, so I was resigned to believe I would die. Why struggle and make my last moments more painful than they already were, to believe in something when it'd only be in vain? What was the point in _hoping_ for something that _seemed_ impossible?"

"So you just chose to lie down and die? When the going gets tough, you just give up? That's a pretty shitty excuse." She spluttered indignantly, her features darkening. "Are you going to do this same damned routine if it gets too tough when you go on your journey?"

He winced at her blunt words, feeling them hurt worse than he was willing to admit because he knew that she was right, and he hated that she was. He could see the oncoming storm building up, had seen it for some time, but he quickly backpedaled, hoping to dissipate the situation's tension and salvage it.

"Did you think I wanted to die?"

"You sure as hell were acting like it."

"_Accepting_ death for what it is and _wanting_ to die are two separate things. I _didn't_ _want_ to die, but I _didn't_ _believe_ there were any other options, given how far away from help we were. Could you smell any other trainers close by us, or a settlement, or even a home within our area?"

She was silent on that, although he could see the next comment already lining itself up, already waiting on the edge of her teeth. He pressed on, not giving her the chance.

"I didn't want to die," he stressed. "But given the circumstances…I didn't exactly see you running over half a day's journey to the nearest center before I did. I didn't…I _couldn't_ see it. I'm—I'm still accepting that you made it here in time. Even if you couldn't do that, you still…you would have tried to do so, wouldn't you?"

It still boggled him how she could press on and defy what would have been an inevitable fate. No pokémon wanted to be poisoned, paralyzed, or burned, or even drained dry of blood or lose a limb. No pokémon wanted to die, not in the wild and certainly not while in the care of a trainer. The instinct to survive was instilled in every living being, some stronger than others. But nature was cruel; his parents infused that credence in him and his nest-mates, even if they hadn't been of the wild, they still accepted and knew that to be the truth. Nature was not kind. It did not weep or take pity on those who fell by her devices and evolutions, the very edges that made predator compete with prey and vice versa.

And yet, humans had the innovation to defy those rules. They weren't always successful, but they pushed forward in the face of diversity, laughed in the face of a challenge and tackled it down until it either yielded or they did. They saw the "_what if_" and the "_what could be_" scenarios, always breaking boundaries and pushing limits. It wasn't completely absurd that he couldn't identify similar veins of thought; it was simply harder for him and his ilk to think outside the box, difficult even. But it was this feature that was what attracted him to the battlefield. What could a trainer do to help him reach his full potential, one that he'd never see if he were a wild pokémon? How could they polish him to be a finely-tuned fighter and battling companion? He personally couldn't see that, not beyond the idea of being with a trainer one day traveling the world and fighting to get better.

Yet, he knew that death lurked on the fringes of that life choice, it was a force of nature that loomed, a fearful dark predator that snapped up both the unsuspecting and prepared alike. Those Spinarak and their mother Ariados had been that predator the other night, ready to snatch him away. He struggled at first, like any animal would with the will to live. Survival instinct was strong, but it could only do so much in the face of adversity. When he'd felt the sting of fangs and poison piercing into his flesh while he lay helpless in their webbing, he knew it would have been only a matter of time. There had been no help to call for or rely on, save Lupin, and she hadn't had any antidote on her. Acceptance had been his immediate next step because of that.

He wanted to convey all this, to explain the way he held it in his mind, but words failed him, and he slowly clacked his jaw shut. Exhaustion overcame him again and he carefully turned his head to glance at the door. Nurse Joy was still absent from her appearance. He hoped she'd come soon. He wanted out of here. He turned again to find Lupin pinning him with that intense, mismatched gaze of hers again. Time and again, ever since the full moon, he'd see the other face with that furry snout and glinting, sharp teeth and yellow eyes glowing in the firelight. A predator not of this world, full of human intelligence and a beast's instinct.

He'd heard of many pokémon capable of human-like intelligence in his time at the lab, from the professor's studies. Pokémon that could grasp abstract concepts and lateral thinking, with a sharp learning curve that gave them an edge over others; they were one of a kind. It was this facet his kind as a whole generally lacked rather sorely, especially the wild ones. They relied on brute force to crush foes and annihilate trespassers. Trained ones of his kind had a better grasp of things, a worldly outlook, and could accept further thinking than feral predecessors.

But this was different. She was an enigma, something that wore a very human skin with some very beastly instincts hiding under the surface. He wasn't sure anymore if this was a good or bad thing now. On the one paw, she hadn't harmed him—only scared him a little, admittedly—the night she'd changed. She'd even used her fleet feet to spur them faster toward a town that could help him, a feature he quickly surmised as a natural athletic gift to her…well, whatever she was.

On the other paw…what if that fell away at the drop of a hat?

She stared at him, her gaze intense and her face unreadable. He stared back just the same, unsure of how to continue, how to explain it in full. She slowly crossed her arms loosely over her abdomen in the same manner they had been when she'd slept, a frown finally pulling at her lips.

"You're full of shit beyond your years, ya know that?" She finally said, sighing.

"And _you_ are empty of anything despite yours," he retaliated.

She smirked, and he took it as a good sign. A few weeks ago, she would have snapped at him. Hell, she would have done so last week, even. But now, she seemed less inclined to bark and snarl about his words, just as he felt less prone to baiting her or using sharp words aimed to hurt and disarm.

"Crotchety little thing, ain't ya?"

His jaws parted to spew another comment, but the door in the corner swung open, as if on cue to interrupt them. He was both disappointed and gladdened at the disruption. Nurse Joy entered the room, her bubblegum pink hair bouncing with every step, her uniform prim and proper and clean as she stepped through on light feet. She smiled at the room's patrons, blue eyes sweeping over him and then Lupin. The mousy-haired assistant followed behind her, quietly closing the door, a clipboard full of paperwork pressed to her chest.

"Good morning! I apologize for making you two wait so long. I was dealing with a few last minute arrivals." Nurse Joy beamed, looking rather chipper before she nodded to Totodile. "I'm glad to see that you're awake. We were beginning to worry." She quickly established herself over the machines to check the various bits of data they were projecting, nodding satisfactorily as she went before coming to exam him. "You got here just in time. That Spinarak poison must have been terrible to endure. Did Kara tell you about reporting the encounter to the police station?"

She looked to Lupin briefly, before continuing to remove the bandages on his neck to probe ever so gently at the sensitive and inflamed tissue on Totodile's neck. He winced in spite of himself and the kneejerk reaction to twist and snap kept boiling up at each poke. He allowed her to do her job, however, and after a few moments of enduring everything, she was finished and rerolling a fresh swath of bandages around his neck.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, she did. Said it was a sort of an ongoing local problem."

"Yes, it is. Not entirely local, but close. There are large populations of bug-type pokémon in the surrounding forests, and several species are very poisonous." The prodding hands removed themselves and Totodile relaxed slightly. His neck ached and throbbed. Nurse Joy moved to a table with various bits of medical paraphernalia such as bandages, cotton balls and cotton swabs. "He's going to experience some discharge for about a week and it might get uncomfortable. There'll be stiffness and soreness in his neck at the site of the bite, but the swelling should go down in the next day or so. You'll need to cover the affected area for the day, let it air out at night. We've cycled out the poison from his system with antidote, but he'll need one more dose before the end of the day and he should be good to go."

Nurse Joy nodded over her shoulder, collecting things from cabinets above the table. Kara moved to Lupin, offering the clipboard. "Discharge paperwork as well as his prescription. He'll need to take it easy for the next few days, so he can heal up. No battling. If you can manage it, let him soak in some water at the end of the day for at least a half hour, minimum. Water helps rejuvenate his species."

"We can get that medication over the counter from any pokémart," Totodile muttered derisively, but Lupin only nodded and mumbled a thanks as she skimmed the paperwork and signed it. She stuffed the prescription in her coat pocket and stood, stretching. Totodile winced when he heard the audible cracks her back made. Nurse Joy returned to the group with a paper bag, offering it to Lupin.

"Bandages and ointment for when it has to be covered. The ones he has right now should suffice until they need to be changed."

Kara moved over to Totodile and began undoing the sensors that he hadn't even noticed that were attached to his body. She was careful and studious of where she touched him, and he was grateful for the gentle touch. He, however, kept a wary eye on Lupin as Nurse Joy gave terse instructions on his care, emphasizing the vitality and jiggling the bag in her hand before handing it over.

Then the way was free between the two of them. She hesitated, looking almost abashed, uncertain. Her hands were fidgeting at her sides, as though they didn't quite know what to do with themselves, something he was sure she wasn't paying much mind to. Then she slowly approached, offering them to him.

"You…ready to go?"

He stared at them, noticing for the first time the minute scars and burns here there on her fingers, the pads of her hands, the backs of them. They were old, he was sure, made from everyday tasks, accidental mishaps. He brought his gaze back to her face, studying it. The one there, across the bridge of her nose and down her right cheek…that one looked deliberate and he briefly wondered why anyone would do such a thing.

_And she can't even remember who did it. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise,_ he thought. For once, he felt a pang of sympathy when he remembered that her entire body had been covered in the slick scars, the pale flesh bare of any fur and standing out starkly against her fuzzy form.

He finally nodded, waddling sluggishly toward her outstretched hands at the edge of the bedding. It hurt to push up to his hind legs, but he endured the small amount of pain for the few seconds he needed. She did the rest, scooping him up under his arms and carefully pulling him against her shoulder, one arm under his back legs, the other across his back. It was…nice. Comfortable. He let a gush of air escape his nostrils as he laid his weary head against her shoulder, relaxing into her grip. His limbs were leaden weights and it was a relief to simply not move and have someone else do the work. He let his eyes close, lulled by the steps Lupin took as she left the room after gathering her things. He was asleep before she even stepped out the door of his recovery room.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

After finished with the pharmacy, Lupin stopped by the video chat consoles, Totodile was still draped across her shoulder, fast asleep. The stray and idle thought of, _you just woke up_, came flitting through, but was quickly quelled when she remembered he was still recovering. He was stable, and that much was good. When she'd felt him shivering so violently in her arms the last half hour or so before Catallia City, it terrified her enough to put in a last burst of adrenaline into her system to keep going. By the time she came stumbling into the Pokémon Center's lobby, her legs were a quivering mess, barely able to hold her up. Everything ached and throbbed, her hips, knees and ankles on fire as everything settled after she stopped. The medical staff had sprung into action, taking the deathly still and limp Totodile from her, shouting medical jargon too quickly for her to follow. The rest of the night did not pass quickly or easily enough. She had been too exhausted to do much other than sit in the lobby, yet too wired with gut-wrenching anxiety to sleep.

She had been riddled with it ever since, waiting for updates, progress, any scrap of information until she could be cleared to see him. She had completely forgotten to call Phillip or the professor to update them on the situation. She decided that she couldn't do without giving them the courtesy, now that things had calmed down.

She stared at the inert screen with its glowing background, waiting with instructions on how to use it. She scanned them, then went through the steps to place a call. A telephone icon sprung up on the screen, the words "_Connecting, please wait_" flashing below as speakers from the terminal projected a ring every few seconds.

"_Call connected_" seared across her screen seconds before the screen cut and showed Phillip's face front and center, the lab presenting a mellow background. She could see some of the pokémon playing a friendly game of tag in a playpen just behind him.

"Oh, Lupin! So glad you called, I was getting worried. How are things going, did you meet Mr. Pokémon?"

She hesitated, taking the precious few seconds to shift Totodile a little against her shoulder. Phillip's smile faded, his attention drawn to the inactive pokémon slumped against her.

"Is everything all right? What happened?"

She took a breath, steeling herself before she dove into it, slowly and halting at first, before it smoothed in transition near the end. The meeting had gone fine, she noted, starting with a good point, before diving into the encounter with the Spinarak and the Ariados after the rains had stopped. She had to omit how far she really had been from Catallia as well as the real manner in which she'd scared the spiders away, but for the most part, she remained as honest as she could on the accounts. Phillip listened with rapt attention, not entirely responsive at first. A wave of disbelief had slowly covered his face as she had regaled on the events. When she finished, she fell silent, and hadn't realized she'd been stroking Totodile's backside until that moment. Hurriedly, she dropped her hand and tucked it under him to relieve her other one.

"That…that…wow. You're…you were very lucky," he finally breathed out. "Legendaries above, you were _really_ lucky. And-and he's okay? Nurse Joy said he'd be fine?"

"Just a little sore in his neck for the next few days. No battling," she nodded. _Not that we've done much of that at all to start with. _

Phillip expelled a long sigh of relief and ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, thank goodness. You're behind schedule, but…well, all for the better. The professor is too, so there are no worries about that." He smiled reassuringly. "Just…get here in one piece, the both of you."

The conversation dwindled after that with miniscule updates, and a few minutes later, she was hanging up. The screen blanked out and went back to its casual menu one. Lupin sighed, feeling like that was one less thing on her plate. Without much else business to take care of in the Pokémon Center, she took her leave after gaining directions to the police station. She ended up walking three blocks before finding it. Inside, she was assaulted by a myriad of scents that were only just marginally better than the scent of hospital bleach and antiseptic. But only just.

A front desk clerk looked up from his work and squinted at Lupin before putting a pair of glasses onto the bridge of his nose. He leaned back, no longer squinting and he asked, "Can I help you?"

The lobby was empty save two other bodies sitting in a row of chairs against the wall to her left. Shifting Totodile to her other shoulder, she nodded.

"Yes, I, uh, I was advised by the medical providers over at the Pokémon Center to…to…"

The clerk was leaning over to the side, staring at Totodile. He squinted again at him.

"Those damned Spinarak and Ariados, I'm guessing?"

Lupin expelled a breath noisily through her lips and nodded.

The clerk sighed even louder, already reaching toward a paper rack on his desk. "Here. Fill out this paperwork. After it gets filed, we'll get back to you in three days—"

"_Three days_?"

The officer raised a brow. "Traveling trainer? You got the time to linger in Catallia, don't you?"

"No, I don't. I'm on an errand for Professor Elm. Here, I have…hold on." She unhitched a shoulder strap from her pack and swung it around to her front, digging into a pocket to produce the ID Professor Elm had gotten her. Handing it to the officer, he took his glasses off and squinted once again, lips pulling into a frown.

"Hmm. I guess that this might change things. Hold on, let me talk to my superior real quick, see what she has to say. Maybe we can rush this processing step."

"Wait, why does this paperwork need a processing delay, anyway?"

The officer, halfway out of his seat, sighed. "Well, the thing is, this is the season we need to draw up a paper trail in order to get the Rangers involved for another forest sweep. We can't just call them up on a hunch, sweep through the forest and end up with no evidence of Ariados and her nest residing in it. We've had incidents in the past and now we need to back our reasons for having them come all the way out here to help." He motioned to the paperwork. "Hence, this. We can't afford to rush things all the time, and we need time to review the paperwork itself before we forward this to the Rangers. If we can speed this up, we can let you on your way by the end of the day."

She sighed as he handed her ID back. "Another day here…great."

_I guess it's a good thing the professor is delayed, then. _

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Sorry. Just the nature of the beast. I'll be right back. Spinner, c'mon. Let's go," he said, glancing upward. Something dropped down from the ceiling, a bright streak falling by a spindly thread of webbing, and it scuttled over to the officer's shoulder. Lupin jumped back, her tail bristling under her coat. The officer chuckled at Lupin's reaction, reaching up to pet the green and black spider on his shoulder. "Sorry about that. Spinner likes doing that for the shock factor. He's a naughty little guy like that."

"You guys _use_ those little monsters?" Lupin gaped, staring at the green and black spider with suspicion and disgust.

He frowned at her, looking troubled. "Monsters? They're not monsters. You just had a bad run in with some feral Spinarak. It's unfortunate, but it happens. Plus, we've been using Spinarak in Catallia for years now. Growlithe are usually the norm for officers but here, it's tradition for us."

Lupin stared, uncertain and nervous at the little spider. It looked at her with beady black eyes, before lifting its back end. On its abdomen, a comical face was patterned out on it. It showed a smiley face at the angle it presented to her. Lupin remained unconvinced, but took the paperwork regardless, her eyes never leaving the spider.

"I'll just…fill this out while you go and talk it out with your boss."

"Sounds good to me. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Taking a clipboard he slid across the desk before disappearing, Lupin retreated to an empty seat, staring over the forms she was given. She wanted a shower. She wanted a nap. She hadn't had a proper meal in the last few days, and what little she'd had hadn't been quite enough to fill her up. She started scribbling in what information she could, feeling more and more awkward the more personal the information got. Address, pokégear number, trainer ID number, email address…

By the time the officer had come back, she only had the parts she could fill out finished. Then she had to explain her situation, and the longer she tried, the more stilted and difficult it got. Lupin finally ended on the note of, "If you just…call Phillip—the professor's main aide—he can vouch for me. Please. I know how it sounds, but…I was examined by Ms. Joan from Cherrygrove, she came out to the lab to help a few weeks ago. The police have a record of the incident too."

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. Easy, there. I'm not going to arrest you, if that's what you think. We already called up the lab to confirm who you were. Mr. Sykes confirmed who you were, said you just called from the center about twenty or so minutes ago." He smiled disarmingly, taking the clipboard. "My superior's already approved of getting this pushed through today. We just need you to put this on record officially."

"That…that isn't officially?"

"Video records. They go with the paperwork when we forward it to the Rangers. Just a few questions to confirm and follow up on your encounter, and then you're free to go."

That sounded simple enough, she reasoned. She nodded, conceding to follow him.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"How long was I out for?"

"A few good hours. Here, lemme give you that medicine they had me get before you eat."

Lupin gently pulled Totodile into her lap, the medicine bottle in her hand. He sighed, leaning his head on her knee as she injected the plunger with a soft hiss into the softer bits of his scales. Totodile winced, hissing at the brief blossom of fire as the medicine wormed its way into his system.

"Ow."

"Sorry. At least that's the only batch you need. And now, the bandages. They said to let it air out at night. I already got a bath for you so you can soak."

He was quiet as her hands carefully began to unwrap said bandages from his neck. The sensitive tissue throbbed, the cool air kissing the wounded area.

"Why're you suddenly being so nice to me?"

The inquiry threw her off, he could tell from her stilted silence. Her hands froze, and he glanced up at her to see her expression unreadable. And yet, her eyes were studying him just as intently. Then she was back in motion again, putting aside the bandages on the bed, and picking him up to carry him to the bathroom.

"You've been a pain in my ass since the day I met you, but I'm not heartless enough to be uncaring. I mean…I do care. If I didn't, you'd be in a more questionable condition right about now."

"You don't call this questionable?"

"Point taken," she sighed. They passed through the bathroom door and she immediately turned to the small tub. The water she laid him in was warm and he settled comfortably in it and already, he could feel himself feeling much better. The ache in his neck lessened considerably. Lupin sat on the toilet after putting the lid down to make an impromptu seat. "But I still stand by what I said. Look. If I didn't care, do you think I would've taken you away from every fight you've been trying to get into? Pokémon trainer battles, I can't really do that, I'm not really a trainer. But wild pokémon are a different story. You can defend yourself against them, even if you don't have a license. That's an exception to a rule, as long as it's not instigated by you."

"You've been reading up on these things," he said, surprised. She nodded.

"But if I didn't care…I would've let you go all out and not bother on making sure you were healthy to keep going. Or I would have done a dick move and released you. Or gave you away to someone and gone on my own way. Anything. It…it would've been different if I didn't care. And I do, I just…took a little longer…to actually show it and for that, I…I'm sorry. I know I'm—difficult. It's just…I don't know, I'm…still trying to figure things out."

"That's one way of putting it," he commented quietly. He studied her for a moment, considering. "But I suppose you're right…things would be different. And…I didn't make it any easier on you. I'm not much better."

"Well, at least you're getting a taste of what you'll have to expect when you're out traveling with…well, whoever you end up being a friend with. You're a tough little bastard. I mean it, too. The nurse at the center said most victims your size, they don't make it within the first hour of being bitten. You held out for at least three—I kinda had to omit where we were, exactly, but still. _Three_ hours. You might not look at it this way or at it like this right now, but you got heart."

She smiled and for once, he didn't conceive the image of that other face of hers over it. She looked nice when she smiled, scar and all. And she wasn't hiding half her skull with that hat of hers either. He rather liked her without it.

The moment was there and gone again in an instant, however, when the smile fell away and she sighed, standing. "I'll let you soak for a little. Just call me when you want to get out."

"It might be a while," he warned. He was feeling quite cozy, in fact.

"That's okay. I can wait around for room service, then."

"Can you get me some food, please? I'm…I'm really hungry."

She smiled again. He liked it better when she smiled, he realized.

Lupin nodded, pausing at the door. "Sure. Just sit tight."

Then she was gone and he stared at the doorway for several long minutes before he angled his tail like a rudder to start swimming in circles. How thoughtful of her. She'd filled it up enough so he could do this.

Maybe she wasn't as bad as he'd thought she was.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_**Note:**_** D'awww. They **_**do**_** care about each other! It just took a lot of insults, name-calling, and antagonistic conversations (not to mention, ankle-biting and tail-nipping) to get through for it to show! And trust me, Totodile did a lot of tail biting when he didn't think he was getting the proper attention he thought he deserved. :P**


	12. Chapter Eleven: Fight

**Chapter Eleven:  
Fight**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how****Pokémon****look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them ****out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_I'm a lean, mean, fighting machine. I'm a lean, mean, fighting machine. I'm a robot. Robots are cool. Green Lantern fought a robot. I love Green Lantern. I love pie. Mmmmmm, pie. Wait why am I thinking about pie? I'm supposed to be thinking about something else. Does it rhyme with pie? Fly, by, cry, die, pie? Pie! No. Pie, Green Lantern, Fighting robot, fighting machine, me. I'm a lean, mean, fighting machine. I'm a lean, mean, fighting machine."  
_**-Reese, "**_**Malcolm in the Middle**_**"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"I _can_ walk, you know."

"I know. I kinda like having you on my shoulders now, though."

A sigh sounded off against her hat and what little fur from her ear that couldn't be hidden tickled under the gush of air. It made her ears twitch in response. Totodile settled more comfortably on her shoulders, hunkering down for the long haul. He gazed up at the moderately sized business buildings they were passing through to reach the end of Cherrygrove with a half-lidded, bored expression in his eyes. There was warmth there, however, one that reflected in his tone.

"You spoil me."

"Just until we get back to the lab. Then you can hate and avoid me all you like for not letting you walk."

"I'm not an invalid."

"I prefer to think of you as a trouble-seeking magnet. I'd rather not have a repeat of the Mankey Incident."

"…point taken. I still stand by my statement, however."

"Troublemaker."

"I had everything under control," he muttered derisively back. Lupin sighed.

"Yes, and if things hadn't gone so _swimmingly_, I would have been caught with no trainer's license. Kids are easier to give a warning to. A thirty-something year old, though? No. I prefer to continue not knowing what the inside of a jail cell looks like, thank you."

"You act as though you're expecting a cop to pop around the corner in the middle of a battle. As long as we don't cause property damage, I find that scenario highly unlikely. You can relax."

Totodile paused, tilting his head. She felt a little unnerved at the unblinking stare he had pinned her with.

"Unless, that's not the _only_ thing you're worried about."

"What a _genius_ you are."

"I have my moments. Thank you." He replied dryly, snorting. "Relax. You have some immunity protecting you while under the professor's wing, so to speak. As long as you maintain your junior assistant license, you have authority to act in the professor's stead. Not as fully as Phillip, but well…can't win them all. Most people will give you some leeway. It worked in Catallia."

"Riiight…"

Cherrygrove was in full swing at the moment, oblivious to the worries of the two travelers. People bustled about, some smelling of fresh brine, others of fragrant flowers and herbs. Totodile lifted himself up higher on Lupin's shoulders, practically balancing on his hind legs and tail as he sniffed the air with a hungry sheen to his eyes as he searched the bobbing heads around them.

"I smell fresh fish!"

"Well, Cherrygrove is a small port city, it doesn't surprise me you smell fish."

"Can we get some fresh salmon? Or maybe some crawfish or some tuna. Or maybe some crabs. Can we get some of that? I hear it's _really_ tender."

He shivered pleasantly against her and she reached up to lower him back down. "Calm down. Jeez. Look, we're heading out of town, we don't have time to double back to get you a snack."

He slumped with a disgruntled huff, grumbling under his breath. Lupin flicked the side of his crooked snout and he hissed.

"We're getting an early start for a reason. We wanna get to the professor's by the end of tomorrow, so we gotta go now. Got it?"

"Yes, all right…fun killer. You kill my fun. My fun was eating fish."

"I'm sure you'll live well enough on the canned meat I got you."

"Bah. Chemically treated tripe. It pales in comparison to fresh meat."

She huffed a few quiet laughs and reached back up to pat his hard skull and he leaned into the touch. She gave him a few scratches in return. "We'll get you your fresh meat when we get back to the lab, okay? Promise."

"I'd hold you to your word, but I'm afraid you might conveniently forget it."

"Oh, _wow_. Cheap shots, really? Okay, I'll remember that later."

Totodile laughed at that. He slid back along her shoulder, a scaly blue scarf dotted with spiny crimson plates that were looking quite uninviting. Other trainers and denizens passed them by, their pokémon either strolling beside, flying above, or riding atop their humans. No one paid them much mind, except for perhaps a young child at a crosswalk, who looked at Totodile with the reverence of something holy that had just crossed his path. Totodile was the first to notice and gave the boy a crooked grin and another rattling laugh. Lupin, only noting the last of the exchange, smiled when she saw him staring. The boy hurriedly buried his face in his mother's side, but his eyes were smiling at her when he peeped shyly back up at her.

The outskirts of the city were fringed with little houses and cottages that slowly gave way to rolling hills and gentle, sloping fields and a clear sky above them. The forest lay beyond, a green hazy line on the horizon that slowly grew with definition as they left the city proper. The renewed scent of the salty ocean blew towards them on a light breeze, heady and invigorating. It carried along with them as they headed onto the main road that led back to New Bark Town, mixing with the earthy wooded fragrance of the forest they were slowly closing in on. The city wasn't even out of their sight, however, when the wind changed and a new scent carried on it.

Lupin sighed as she adjusted her hat a little more securely on her head and did the same with her coat for good measure. People stared, she knew they did. She's already caught them doing so. But none have, so far, said a thing about the bushy tail that was not quite so easily hidden by her coat. She hoped she could safely assume that they believed it to be a clip-on for the time being. An eccentricity, to be sure, but it seemed somewhat acceptable so far.

"I smell Chikorita. Can you? That herby smell she's always covered in, can you smell it?"

She could indeed, and it had taken her a few moments to recognize the earthy scent of the grass pokémon. Lupin could hear the faint longing and crooning melancholy rolling in between the lines of his words and it carried in the tone of his voice. She knew that while he did want to be back at the lab, at the same time, he didn't want to return there. He wanted to stay on the road and his lethargy in returning was becoming more present with each passing step that heralded them closer to their destination. To have some shred of evidence that one of the others had been picked up before him must have been disheartening. He slumped further against her shoulder, and by now she had a good idea of his body language to know he was sliding into that mental rut once more.

The distance was eaten away as they continued, and soon the owner of the new scent mark came into view. He was young, perhaps in his late teens, sporting a head full of shocking red hair that leveled out to his shoulders. His outfit was simple, but uniform for traveling, as was the pack he carried. Totodile adjusted himself on her shoulder, stirring for the first time since they'd left Cherrygrove.

"She's not out…"

"Doesn't look like it," Lupin concurred, noting his dejected tone. The glint from the midmorning sun on the approaching trainer's belt told her that the little pokémon was most likely nestled in her pokéball. A very small part of her was relieved. She didn't want to deal with a shaking, scared pokémon staring at her like she was a harbinger of death. At least in the cities, most of the pokémon seemed unfazed by her. It was a relief of scenery compared to the lab's confined spaces and sheltered pokémon.

Even from the distance, she could tell the trainer was in a hurry. It wasn't too long before they were within distance to properly greet one another. Lupin gave a curt nod, although the redheaded young man didn't return the gesture. He all but glared at her, his gaze intense and hard. She noticed off the bat his eyes were a light grey, but the study was interrupted when she noticed him sneering at her, just as she was getting ready to pass him by. He stopped short, eyes locked on her and she hesitated on continuing. Her reluctance gave him leeway to speak, as his eyes slid to Totodile resting on her shoulders.

"Well, well. If I'm to guess, you got that pokémon at Professor Elm's laboratory."

Lupin's muscles locked up at the observation and she pursed her lips, yet she nodded all the same. It was technically true. She continued to study him in return, feeling like she's seen this boy before, but she couldn't pin down where. Some town, maybe, on her way to Mr. Pokémon's home, perhaps?

_But he was coming from New Bark Town_, she corrected herself. She eyed the pokéball attached on his belt, recognizing the little leaf motif engraved on its front, right above the release button. How could she know him? She couldn't, no way. Her eyes flicked to meet his again.

"And you must have gotten yours from him as well," she replied in kind, nodding to the pokéball. "Chikorita, right?"

He gave an ugly snort, his hands resting on his hips now, his attention fully on her.

"Of course. And she can take on that wimpy little reptile any day of the week. Is it too lazy to walk on its own?" He smirked a bit, fingers brushing against the pokéball on his belt now, as though in contemplation.

Lupin bristled, but didn't take the bait. She knew what he was trying to do. She wasn't falling for it.

"Great, well, have fun with her, and good luck I guess. See ya," she replied in a clipped tone. She gave a mocking salute as she turned to continue on her way. Her ears gave a massive twitch under her hat at the sound of a pokéball releasing energy and suddenly, something was yanking her back by the arm. It squeezed tight and refused to let go, forcing her to pivot. Totodile growled deep in his chest and snarled. Chikorita was out, a pair of thin, reedy vines sprouting from the base of her neck and wrapped around the werewolf's arm. Despite the rank scent of fear that was mixing with her usually pleasant herby smell, she had followed a silent order to attack. The vines wrapped tighter around her arm. Lupin dug her heels into the ground in response. The redheaded young man still had that smarmy leer on his face and in that instant, Lupin came to one conclusion: she preferred Totodile's smugness to this kid's.

"I want to see just how pathetic you lot are. I challenge you to a battle."

"Sorry, but I'm not into battling. Now tell her to—no, fuck this, _let_ _go_, Chikorita. I mean it!" Lupin snapped, directing her words to the grass pokémon. Chikorita stared her down, terror and determination shining in those red eyes, but she refused to adhere to the order. The redhead's smirk widened, if it were possible.

"You're not going anywhere until I beat your pokémon, so you might as well dump that scaly sack of meat and get it over with."

Totodile hissed menacingly, a throaty growl building up. Lupin gritted her teeth, the idea of unleashing a few sparks to teach this kid a good lesson sorely tempting. Totodile leapt in before she could decide, snapping his jaws shut on the vines holding Lupin's arm immobile. Chikorita let out a nearly ear-piercing shriek of pain, and the hold on the woman's arm released, retreating as soon as Totodile released and landed nimbly on the ground. He hissed at the grass pokémon, rising up to his hind legs with his mouth gaping open in a threatening display. Chikorita whimpered, backing up toward her trainer, but instead of being scooped up or checked up on, he gave her shove forward with his foot.

"Get back in there, I didn't say you were done."

Lupin bristled. It struck a sudden nerve with her at the sight of Chikorita's treatment and she felt abashed at her previous thought using her fire to scare her. She'd be no better if she'd done so, she realized.

"What in the hell is wrong with you? Don't kick her, you slimy jerk!"

A part of her wanted to scoop the grass pokémon up and snatch that pokéball out of the redhead's hand and take her back to the lab. Did Professor Elm know what kind of person he'd given her to? Did they do background checks on potential new trainers, or at least a personality test? Something to weed out potential abusers, at the very least.

"I'll do what I want with her. She's _my_ pokémon. Chikorita, vine whip!"

A torrential gush of water poured from Totodile's maw, canceling out the skinny vines from attacking again. It doused the grass pokémon and sent her spinning across the dirt road, spluttering and coughing. The redhead's grin faded and a thunderous expression replaced it. He jerked his head impatiently toward Chikorita and barked, "Get back up! Razor leaf!"

"Hey, I'm not battling here, so knock it off!"

"Oh, really? I'd say your Totodile is ready and willing. Not that it matters. I have type advantage. Grass types overwhelm water types any day of the week. There's no way I'd lose to a weakling like you."

That prickling, indignant feeling overcame her again, souring her stomach. It made her want to give in to the temptation to unleash a firestorm as a distraction. She quelled the enticing idea, and glanced at Totodile, uncertainty weighing her down. She eyed the flesh around his neck that was still slightly puffy, the ugly little puncture wounds that had finally closed up and healed from where the Spinarak had bitten him. He'd been doing much better in the last few days since they left Catallia City, but he always felt ragged and worn out by the end of the day, even after riding on her shoulders. He tilted his head, glancing at her with one yellow-red eye facing her. He gave her that rattle-laugh, snout tilting into a crooked gator grin.

"Trust me. I have this."

She opened her mouth to argue back, to make an excuse, but she snapped it shut just as quickly. This was what he'd been bred to do, he always told her. She kept taking him away from potential battles before they'd even started in earnest and managed to get away. Here, their hands were being forced. Even if they could get away, he'd resent her for it. And she knew she'd never forgive herself either. She could see how important this was to him. He wanted to fight.

She nodded to him. It was a short, curt movement, but she saw a fire ignite in those eyes at the reaction, the floodgates opening and allowing him free reign to let loose. He snapped his head forward and opened his jaws, emitting a startlingly low, deep and angry hiss at Chikorita. The sudden change in his behavior toward the grass pokémon was shocking. One moment, he was reminiscing, the next he's ready to attack.

Chikorita's body tensed and her lower half lowered, shoulders locking, ready to either push forward or brace for a hit. She let out a snarl of her own. The redhead across the makeshift battleground smirked.

"Hiss and growl all you want, you two are going down. Tackle!"

Chikorita darted forward on quick little feet. Totodile hunkered himself down a little more and at the last moment, ducked out of the way. He gave the grass pokémon a light smack with his tail as he retreated away from her and released another surge of water from his maw. It struck true, hitting Chikorita in her side and sent her flipping over herself across the road. Totodile snorted, waiting tensely as the grass pokémon struggled back to her feet at the behest of her trainer's snarled shouts.

"Get back up! Use razor leaf!"

Totodile didn't give her the chance. Just as she had rushed forward moments before, he did the same, splaying his claws and taking a hard swipe at her. She tried to dodge, but he caught her in the flank. She missed most of the damage, but long, thin lies were left in her flank and she limp-hopped away muttering under her breath as she gave Totodile the stink eye. It didn't take a genius to see she was hurting and looked ready to fold. Lupin pursed her lips and glanced back at Totodile.

"Hey, I think she's had enough. C'mon back, yeah?"

Her opponent scoffed. "Those are the words of a weakling. Razor leaf."

A flurry of leaves suddenly flew from the crest of the leaf atop Chikorita's head, sharp little green darts hurtling toward Totodile. He ducked low to the ground, dodging most, but a few scraped across his backside. He winced, but didn't move from his spot. Lupin lurched forward, ready to intervene when a pair of those reedy vines came whipping out of nowhere, cracking at her feet. She jumped back, first glaring at Chikorita and then the redhead. He said nothing, but that grim smirk was still on his face.

"Razor leaf again."

"Dammit, that's enough, I—!"

"Don't interfere!"

Her mouth clacked shut as she turned her gaze toward Totodile, stunned at his outburst. He was lifting himself up to his hind legs again, flexing his little paws. Another barrage of leaves skewered past him, some knocking him back but he held his ground, hind paws leaving deep gouges in the ground. Totodile clacked his jaws and she blinked, swearing she saw a flicker of light in his jaws.

"Almost…" he muttered. "One more, dammit. Just one more."

She furrowed her brow, confused, but jumped when another barrage of those leaves went hurtling toward him. Some struck true and she heard him yowl. Instinct urged her to move forward again, but she was frozen, an outside bystander with no control of her own limbs. It felt different than in the forest with the nest of Spinarak. She couldn't move, only watch as fine lines of red oozed from the fresh wounds decorating his blue hide. They stood out starkly in contrast, thin red ribbons making oddly placed stripes along his scales.

Her attention was diverted from the wounds, and she saw the light appear again, and she knew she wasn't seeing things. Her opponent must have seen too. When she looked back at him, his mouth was hinged open in angry astonishment. He shouted a garbled command back at his pokémon, but it came moments too late. Chikorita froze up, realizing what was happening just as late, belatedly preparing for another of her razor leaf attacks. The attack that Totodile had been building up was released and the energy plunged toward the grass pokémon and struck her hard before she could execute her counterattack. It flung her into the air and she flew far before careening back onto the ground. She didn't move for several seconds, but it seemed to last an eternity. Totodile hissed and let out a menacing growl of victory.

Chikorita finally stirred, struggling to push herself to her feet, only to collapse back onto her side. Lupin finally felt her limbs release from the iron vice grip that held her tight, and she stumbled over to Totodile, carefully checking him over. She gave especial attention to the just recently healed wounds on his neck. He groaned, pushing away at her with his paws.

"Stop smothering me, I'm _fine_, just get me some potion so we don't have to go back to the center."

She hesitated, but nodded all the same and dropped her pack to dig into it, her hand wrapping around the small vial in a side pocket. The sunlight gleamed against the purple and clear flask, the medicinal liquids sloshing about inside. He side-eyed it as she held it parallel to one of the nastier gouge marks on his body.

"Hold still," she muttered, pressing down on the spray tip. It took a second, but the medicine shot out against the wound, and the reaction was instantaneous. The cut began to close and stitch back together, and while it was still red and raw, it looked better and was no longer bleeding freely. She continued the process until all the wounds were closed and the potion was completely out. Lupin sighed in relief, scratching the side of his head.

"What in the hell was that?"

"Rage. I have to take a few hits, but it helps build up the power behind my own. The more damage I take, the more powerful I can return it in kind. It doesn't help if I get knocked out before that happens, though."

"Geez. Scared the hell outta me."

"You should learn my move set, then. It'd be easier if you had a pokédex and not a bunch of books to lug around..." He eyed her pointedly at this and she sheepishly slung her pack back onto her shoulders.

"Wait, what's a—"

She stopped herself short at a loud stomp and purposeful huff. She looked up and saw the redhead glaring at her from down the road, his jaw set rigidly in anger. His gaze, for a brief few seconds, settled on Chikorita, who was limping over to him. She passed them by, and gave a nod to Totodile.

"Good battle," she said. Her eyes slid toward Lupin and she hesitated, then nodded to her as well. "You're not as bad as I thought you were. You're…pretty nice."

Lupin was surprised, but she smiled in thanks. She was already digging in her pack for another potion when the redhead's voice cut in sharply.

"Chikorita! Get away from those weaklings. We're going."

She hesitated, looking torn, before she trotted awkwardly after her trainer. He glowered at her approaching form. "Hmph. What a disappointment. You're supposed to be _stronger_ than a water-type."

Lupin opened her mouth to shout at him, but a paw on her arm distracted her. Totodile was observing her with half-lidded eyes, his gaze deceptively lazy looking at first but she saw the ire there as well.

"There's nothing you can do. He's her trainer now."

"But he's—"

"A jerk, yes. There are plenty of those kinds of trainers, but short of reporting him for abuse—which we haven't seen—we can't do much to take Chikorita away. She's stuck…unfortunately."

He stared her down and she reluctantly withdrew her hand from her pack, sighing. Quietly, she finished checking him over, especially the area around his neck. It was looking better than the last few days, but he often complained it was sore. She stood at last, dusting her jeans off. "I…guess we should get going, then. We need to make up for our lost time. That jerk threw us off schedule."

"Not much lost time," he observed, pausing to look up at her. "Can I ride on your shoulders again?"

She barely heard the question, however, her eyes momentarily drawn to something lying on the ground a few feet away from them. It sat plainly in the middle of the road, and it was clear what it was: an ID card. Lupin could see, as she got closer, that it was the trainer ID for the redhead that had stormed off. She peeked at the name, frowning. Shirubā Noboru. 16 years old, red hair, grey eyes, originating from Kanto, so on and so forth…

_No wonder he's such a stuck up punk_, she thought with pursed lips, her eyes focused on the age. So young, he thinks he's invincible, that he can challenge anyone and no consequence will come of it. He was arrogant and not in the charming way, either. Totodile growled beside her in warning and she looked up to see the redhead—Shirubā—double backing toward them. She motioned to him to clamber onto her shoulder and he complied, agilely sliding up her arm as she stood and turned, heading back for New Bark Town.

She didn't have time to deal with brats that have an ego problem. She left the ID where she'd found it, refusing to listen to the shouts behind her.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The sight of the lab was a welcome one. Plain and simple, that was what it was in the barest sense. The time on the road, however, felt like a much needed kick in the pants that made her want to keep going. She didn't want to stay long. She didn't want to become complacent and cooped up, letting herself wallow in self-pity or woeful what-ifs. She wanted to heed to the advice others had already given her, to go out and find the answers that were obviously not forthcoming to her.

"You're thinking of leaving again, aren't you?"

The voice in her ear startled her out of her churning thoughts. She didn't answer at first, mulling over how to answer that question. Yes, she wanted to go back out again, but she didn't know when. No, she didn't really want to, but she had to. She had slipped into the police station at Cherrygrove last night before heading to the center for a room, to see if they'd had any leads. She'd ended up waiting nearly forty-five minutes before they got back to her, and it had been a disappointment as well as a waste of time. There had been no changes, no missing persons reports regarding her, and no leads to her identity.

"Yeah, thinking about it," she finally settled for. Totodile shifted a bit on her shoulder, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position. He steadied himself, quiet for a moment.

"You know the professor isn't going to let you go alone, right?"

"…I know."

"Then I hope you don't mind if I stick around for a little longer," he said with one of his rattle-laughs. She found enough of it in her to smile.

"I suppose I don't have much of a choice. It's either you or I wrestle a feral pokémon with my bare hands."

"I'll bet on you…most days. I'm not sure you'd have a fair fight against an Ursaring, however."

"A what?"

"Big giant bear of doom that lives in the mountains surrounding Blackthorn City just north of here. I've heard horror stories from my mother and father."

That gave her pause. "You said you and your siblings were bred for battle…are you part of some sort of breeder's program?"

"Something along those lines. The owners, they pick out the best in our nests. Some are given to trainers ready to go and in the area. Others, like myself, are sent to starter pokémon programs. Since we're native to Johto, we get sent to Professor Elm. Just like Squirtle are part of Kanto, for example, they get sent to Professor Oak. I'm not too sure about the other regions, though. I do know one of us gets sent every six or so months. Usually by then, the last one gets picked up and the next is alone."

Totodile adjusted himself again. "My older brother, he was still there when I got to the lab, almost six months ago now. He was picked up a week after I'd arrived. It helps the professor have a wider range of subjects to study from versus a stagnant one."

"Did you have a name before coming here?"

She saw him shift his head so he was looking at her more properly.

"You wouldn't be able to pronounce it in your tongue," he scoffed.

"Humour me."

He watched her for a few moments longer and that unblinking reptilian gaze bore into hers. It made her uncomfortable as the silence dragged on before he slid out of her peripheral. The silence pursued for a few seconds longer before he let out a low trill that evolved into a purr, squeak, and growl, then was topped off by a long hiss at the end.

She stopped dead in her tracks, amazed and stunned by the vocal range he emitted. She stood stock still for what felt the longest minute in her life and she could just feel the smugness radiated off of the little blue gator.

"…I'm not even going to try and pronounce that. Do you have something more…translatable?"

"Why?" He sounded suspicious now, but also curious.

"I'm not calling you 'Totodile'. That's the name of your species. That's like me getting a dog and naming it 'Dog'."

"Point taken," he muttered back, falling silent again. "The-Tide-That-Flows-Strong. It's the closest translation we can make of it into your language."

"Your name isn't really a name," she pointed out and he snorted against her cheek.

"Maybe not to you, but to us, it's a perfect way of separating ourselves. My father is The-Teeth-That-Break-Stone and my mother is known as The-Bones-That-Shatter-All."

Lupin clucked her tongue. "Kind of…intimidating sounding."

"That's the point. A boastful name tends to drive off potential challengers."

"I'm not calling you…Tide-Flows-whatever." She frowned, pausing just outside the lab's doors. "What about Riptide?"

He made a disgruntled noise. "You insult me by sullying my name."

"I can't exactly pronounce your actual name and that tide flowing name is too long. Riptide is close enough, ain't it?"

Another discontented sound in her ear, before it devolved into a long sigh. "I suppose it's…_acceptable_, considering your uncultured tongue can't pronounce my given name. Hmmm. Riptide." A pause. "I'm sure it'll grow on me."

"Eventually," she agreed with a nod and a wry smile. She pushed the door open, the faint smile still on her face. "Like a fungus."

"The crustiest fungus that exists, I'm sure."

His rattle-laugh died almost as quickly as it had started and she stopped short herself, going so far as to freeze on the spot. The lab was occupied, and it wasn't by its usual patrons of pokémon, professor and lab assistant. Three officers garbed in uniform stood with the professor, but whatever conversation they'd been having cut short and all eyes landed on the two of them. There was a brief, awkward moment of silence that passed between them, quickly filling the void.

Riptide broke it by bumping his jaw into her temple.

"…well, it was nice knowing you. Be sure to write when you get to the big house."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	13. Chapter Twelve: Train

**Chapter Twelve:  
Train**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how****Pokémon****look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them ****out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**Note: Thanks again to those who reviewed or watched this story! I appreciate the support, and would love to hear from more of you! :D Please feel free to drop a review!**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_What do you suggest?"  
"I'm thinking…"  
"Don't strain yourself."  
_**-Bela and Dean, "**_**Supernatural**_**"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"I _still_ can't believe that monumental jackass just _stole_ Chikorita. I knew something didn't smell right. I hope the police catch him…"

"People steal pokémon. It happens. It's unfortunate, but it happens. Just like when a person gets robbed or…or killed. Things aren't perfect."

"Is it a regular occurrence? The pokémon stealing, I mean."

"Not normally. But desperate people tend to be the usual offenders. It mostly stems from wanting stronger pokémon right from the get go and not wanting to put in the effort or time to train them. Rookies who want dragons and have no way to control them, for example, tend to get injured more. Everyone knows that dragon types are among the strongest out there. That doesn't mean they don't have weaknesses, they have type disadvantages just like the rest of us, but dragon types are very powerful and take a lot of time, care, and patience to raise. Sometimes it can take _years_ to cultivate them to their fullest potential."

"Like…the Champion for the Indigo Plateau, Lance."

"Exactly. You're quick."

Lupin stared over the glossy book pages in her lap, Riptide hovering over it and curled against her, staring just as intently at the pictures. He claimed he couldn't read human language, but he seemed to know the gist of each page. Lupin suspected it was because of the pictures. She continued browsing through the glossy pages, stopping long enough to stare at the information and pictures of the aforementioned Champion, who had, according to the text, conquered all eight of Johto's gyms and all eight of Kanto's, in record time. Then he challenged the Elite Four and the former Champion, before taking the title after blowing them all away with his powerful dragons. He's held the title for nearly twenty years, undefeated and undisputed reigning Champion of the Johto/Kanto regions and the Indigo Plateau. Few have advanced far enough during the tournaments to face him and those that had had been obliterated. Some pokémon had even died in battle.

As Lupin read this, she felt a queasiness settle in the pit of her stomach.

"Pokémon…die in battles?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. Yes, they do. It's a small percentage, but some do." Lupin shifted uneasily on the spot and Riptide tilted his head to stare up at her. "You don't like my answer."

"No. I don't," she admitted. "It's just…_why_? Why would you put yourself at _risk_ of that?"

He stared at her for a long minute, his jaws wired shut and his yellow-red eyes unnerving and still as they studied her. The tension grew between them, and the longer it stretched on, the more she regretted asking.

"We all want to be strong. Or a large population of us do. Pokémon, that is. And trainers, as an extension, I suppose. Most dream of taking down the Champion and gaining that prestigious title for themselves. Others dream of being the best breeder or contestant for pageants or whatever it is they want. But there's always a risk, both for pokémon and trainers. You risk being hit by a bus or a car every time you walk across a street, don't you?"

"I…I guess."

"And yet, you continue to walk across those streets, thinking that you will be fine. It's all about chance. It's the same with battling. If a pokémon dies in battle, at least they went out swinging. They went out a way they wanted—or at least, that's my impression. Besides, battling one another is key to a better life for pokémon."

Lupin tilted her head at him now, brows drawn up quizzically. She paused long enough to cast a few wary glances around her. They were resting at a local Pokémon Center in a small town whose name she'd already forgotten, night having fallen almost an hour ago. Almost as soon as they had arrived at the lab, and dealt with the cops, that edginess began to creep into her bones again. She had wanted out, she felt cooped up and cramped in the confines of the lab after only a few days. Professor Elm must have sensed her unease in being back, and not long after that, he'd presented her with more durable supplies for longer stays outdoors. The gifts had almost been rejected, but he had waved off her stutters and polite, yet failed rejections, telling her he understood and insisted she take them.

"You need to find answers, and you're not finding them here. Go, see the world, make friends, find out who you are. Totodile—sorry, _Riptide_—seems to have taken a liking to you, so that's a good start."

He'd even presented her with a pokédex, explaining that Professor Oak had had it mailed to his lab the other day and wanted it to be given to her.

The electronic device now sat in her pack by her feet. She had yet to really pop it open and fiddle with it, find that she preferred the feel of books instead. But that same book in her lap was forgotten in lieu of her questions and curiosity, and now she was regretting asking. Not if it meant being pinned under those unnerving little reptilian eyes. Riptide finally looked away, and it took every ounce of self-control to keep herself from letting out a sigh of relief.

"If I remember what Professor Elm said correctly…battling helps us level up and evolve more quickly. When a pokémon lives in the wild, they fight for survival, and only sometimes for the joy of it. Even when wild pokémon battle, they don't grow as quickly, they don't evolve. It can take them years in the wild. But battling is the main way we stay healthier, that we…we're more powerful than wild pokémon. And trainers, when they take in a pokémon, put them on their main roster, those pokémon develop quicker, they learn their move sets faster. If I was wild, for example, I would probably remain a Totodile for several years longer, and hope I don't get eaten or killed."

Riptide paused, watching as a young man with an Abra stroll by, the psi pokémon clinging to its trainer's backside.

"Trainers…bring out the best in pokémon. And, on most—not all, mind—occasions, they do the same for in reverse. That's usually where breeders come in. They want to raise and spread out the best of the best. They help bring out that best through their breeding programs, helping trainers raise possible future-champion worthy pokémon. It's…"

He fell short, his words petering out as he searched for a viable explanation. He _wanted_ her to understand.

"You strive to be better than your wild cousins. You want to live to the expectations of your breeders and parents," Lupin surmised. He nodded, although it wasn't the whole story, just a part of it.

"I…have things to overcome. Blocks to…push over," he admitted. He ignored the wry, knowing smile flashed his way. Instead, he focused on the book in her hands. He didn't notice the way her lips curved downward into a frown seconds later, and the furrowed brow that drew up while worry crept in her eyes.

"But…that still doesn't answer why you'd ignore the risks. I mean, survival, yeah, I get it. In the wild, I mean. But why go out of your way to pair off with people, and risk dying just to get better."

"From the studies I gleaned while at the professor's…it's been theorized and studied as to being more beneficial to a pokémon's health, like I mentioned. A pokémon who battles even only once every few months, their health and immunity jumps up higher than before. Something…there's something about battling that helps boost a pokémon's personal health versus one that never battles. There were other studies from other professors in different regions that Professor Elm was reading about and he was on a hype about it for several weeks, saying it could be another link to their faster evolution. A healthier immune system equaling out to a faster yet easier transition when it came to their growth cycles into the next stage of development." He laughed, glancing at her again. "But it's also fun to beat the snot out of someone else."

She scowled at him, and flicked the side of his snout. Riptide laughed again.

"You should get more pokémon, though. I know I'm strong, but I can't hold the two of us afloat for forever, you know."

"Excuse me?"

"Catch another pokémon. Is it that hard a concept to grasp? Phillip gave you some pokéballs before we left, didn't he?"

She stared at the side of his head, but her eyes soon drifted to the side of his neck, as they were usually wont to do nowadays. The flesh had long since healed and the once-large puncture marks where the fangs had pierced were barely discernable now, but she still shivered all the same. She conceded that he had a point, but she hesitated in voicing that. She didn't feel she was ready to take on another pokémon, an unknown newcomer with no idea on whether they'd hate her guts or if they'd try their damnedest to flee her presence.

The little Totodile snorted and whipped his tail against her arm, smacking it lightly. "Relax. Not all pokémon are like those sheltered ones back at the lab. I know you've noticed how the city dwellers didn't seem to mind you all that much. There are bound to be plenty of wild pokémon who can stand your smell too. Some might even be attracted to it."

Lupin gave him a disgruntled look.

"Not that way, you sicko."

"I wasn't thinking about that!"

"You are now," he replied dully, swiping a page with his paw to turn it.

"Only because you friggin' mentioned it. If anyone's the pervert, it's _you_. Just—how old _are_ you, are you even _allowed_ to talk about that shit?"

"We don't measure our ages the same as you," Riptide replied, but he paused, contemplating. "But if I were to do so…perhaps two. My kind grow slowly at my stage. The breeders want to develop potential fighters and it takes time."

"…that's not a comforting thought. You're two years old."

"Wait until I'm a Croconaw. I'll be equivalent in age to your young adults. Or a human's, at least. How fast do werewolves grow?"

"I…I don't know," she admitted, her face flushing and her ears pressing tighter against her skull beneath her hat. "It…my journal doesn't say. But I don't think I was a…born one."

Riptide fell quiet and so did she, and the silence stretched on. Neither of them had fully broached the subject about Lupin's missing bits and pieces of her past. She wasn't quite ready to share what she knew from her book—which was, admittedly, not much. And he wasn't quite ready to poke the Ursaring, so to speak, for answers, not since the full moon, even after their growing mutual understanding and respect to one another. If he could blush, he probably would have been doing so for carelessly forgetting and slinging the question her way. He knew enough as well as her that she had been bitten and torn asunder, and that was most likely how she'd come to be what she was. The scars written across her body were testimony to that.

He reflected once again that it might have been a blessing in disguise that she didn't know who had done it, but then he remembered her night terrors. She woke every morning before dawn in a panic and cold sweat, reeking of terror and desperation to get away from…whatever it was she had been dreaming of. She claimed to never recollect what she'd been seeing, and he believed her. It was hard not to, when the confusion set in shortly after she awoke, the knitting of her brow and upsetting frown forming on her face. She both yearned and feared to know what she was trying to remember while she slept that her conscious mind refused to glean access to.

A young girl in a flowery sun dress skipped past them, and a trio of Bellossom followed in her wake as she approached the front counter. Riptide watched them for a few spare moments.

"I'm sorry," he said at last, "I didn't mean to—"

"I-It's okay…really." She lifted her hand to cover the back of his head, her index finger stroking the area just behind his eyes. They closed on reflex, both sets of eyelids sliding shut at the pleasurable tingle her scratches emitted and he let out a long, drawn out hiss.

"Ohhhh, yessss….right there…"

She chuckled, but it was short-lived and the silence quickly built up again, but he didn't feel the same amount of tension and awkwardness shielding the bubble around them now.

"Do you…really think I could be a trainer? Like, an actual one. Not just…an assistant lab tech."

He peeped one eye open and tilted his head to glance at her.

"…I do. You have potential. You catch on to things quick. I'm sure whatever they teach in those classes, you'd learn fairly quickly. I saw the way you watched the professor worked, especially around the machinery. The way your hands twitched unconsciously. I think they remembered the way they used to tinker and work. Phillip's hands do the same. They twitch too, aching to do something when there's nothing to do."

He paused, closing his eyes again. They had remained in solitude in their little corner of the center, with no one spying on them or eavesdropping. No one bothered them as they carried on their conversation.

"I know you noticed how you smell like machine oil too. It's faint, but it's there…and there's a reptile musk about you, too. You must have been a trainer at some point, but something happened. You lost them, and now you have to start over, but…I think you'll be just fine. Maybe you'll find them again."

A small amount of false hope, they both knew it was just that, but it was a nicety he knew she'd appreciate it to some degree.

"Maybe…we should go to Violet City, then. And sign up for the trainer classes."

"You'll have to pay a large fee," he warned. "Older trainers tend to get hit harder than the children do, for obvious reasons."

"I suppose that's true," she nodded and sighed. "I guess…I'm gonna have to find a way to get the money saved up, then."

"You might get a discount or a cut in the price if you call the professor."

"I don't want to impose—,"

"Shut up with the nice act, call his ass, and demand a trainer's license. Put on some pouty lips you lot can do and maybe some tears and he'll crack."

Lupin glared at him as he rattle-laughed.

"I don't cry on cue." She huffed back.

"Then _I_ will. A poor ailing pokémon doomed to never see the real side of battling. I'm sure he'll be touched enough to cover most of the fees."

"I'm not getting him to pay!"

"Then suffer under an assistant lab tech's license and live with the regret." He countered, and she groaned.

"You're an evil little croc, you know that?"

"I learned from the best in my family," he chortled back, smacking her book. "Come. Put that dead weight back into that magic bag of yours and let's get some chow. We should be able to reach the Haunted Forest so we can make it through by tomorrow night if we get an early start."

"Just don't eat the rental pokémon."

"This again? I told you. Wild ones are better. They're fatter."

"Have you ever had one?"

"Once and it was delicious. I relish in having another someday." He paused to jump off her lap, then added as an afterthought, "And no, I won't eat the rental pokémon. I swear."

"Should I even believe you?"

Lupin began to carefully push the book back into her pack, mindful of the egg that sat nestled in her pack. It was the very same one Professor Elm had had her fetch, and now she was on a new mission for him: to care for the egg until it hatched. He had admitted, rather sheepishly, that he and Phillip simply didn't have the time for the small nuances of egg-care. He had rattled on about how traveling seemed to encourage them to hatch rather than sitting in an incubator in a lab day in and day out, something or other, but Lupin had agreed nonetheless.

She ran a hand over its smooth surface, comforted by its warmth and the faint movements she could feel from within. It must be close to hatching, she figured, before carefully reassembling her sleeping bag over it as additional cushion. Shouldering her pack at last, she sighed as Riptide continued. "Would this face lie to you?"

"Yes, I believe so," she answered without looking at him, scooping him up to perch on her shoulder. He skittered across the length of her shoulders, snorting as he settled down.

"Fun killer."'

She sighed in exasperation. "I told you, it's 'killjoy', not 'fun killer'."

"I like mine better."

"Of course you do."

Violet City, if she had mapped it out correctly, was a little over a week away. The rest for the night will be a welcome relief, but she knew they had a ways to go.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"All right, so…the books said I'd have to—"

"Forget the books."

"But—"

"Forget. The. Books. I told you, I know how to do this."

"Riptide, I—"

"Dammit, you stupid woman, I can do this and I have more experience, so you'd best listen to me!"

Lupin stared at the blue-scaled reptile, frozen in shock and bewilderment at his hissy outburst. They had bypassed Cherrygrove several hours before, and were now resting, although Lupin would hardly call what they were doing 'resting'. Riptide was _restless_. He wanted to battle and with much reluctance, she'd given a bit of slack in the leash she'd had him on along the way to Cherrygrove. She had even promised, after several days' worth of grating pleads and whining from Riptide, to add another pokémon to their roster.

Her bemusement quickly settled into annoyance and her ears flared back against her skull. He stared back, unimpressed at the glower she presented him with. They held their stare off for several long seconds before he snorted, turning away to stare into a sea of rippling grass that grew in tall stalks on one side of the road. The side they were on, was clean of it all, the ground worn from previous resting bodies. He glanced back at her, the sun making his yellow-red eyes dance.

"The grass is the best place to go sniffing out pokémon. There are plenty of beginner-worthy ones in there," he continued with a faint nod of his snout. "You track one down or stumble over one, or they come rushing you, or maybe we can catch one by surprise—it doesn't matter. As soon as that happens, I can take it from there, weaken it enough for you to catch in one of those empty pokéballs. Simple enough, yes?"

"Uh…"

"What? Is it too hard to grasp? Need me to break it down even more?" He asked dully.

"Rip…"

She nodded over back toward the grass. He turned his attention back and blinked. A Pidgey had come hopping out of the grass, pecking at the ground. Its dusty brown and cream coloured feathers fluffed up and the little bird shuddered, tail feathers rattling back and forth as it paused in its pecking. Riptide looked up at her and she stared back. Then they both turned their attention back to the Pidgey who either didn't care that they were there, or wasn't paying very good attention to its surroundings.

"…well?"

Lupin hesitated for another moment, digging into her pack for a spare pokéball. After pressing the button to expand it, she nodded to him.

"Water gun."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Do I come across you lot, kicking up dirt and spaying air into your faces? Nooo, I didn't, I was just minding my own business and then you rude lot come and attack me!"

"Please. Please, let me eat him. He's so annoying, he won't shut up!"

Lupin sighed, her arm propped up on her knee, her chin in her hand as she watched the little Pidgey rant as he strutted and hopped and fluttered back in forth. Riptide was attempting to cover his ears with his paws, but they couldn't quite reach his head all the way.

"Um…Syd?"

"I'm not done!"

"Yes, yes you are. You got caught. Live with it."

The Pidgey puffed up, looking rather indignant, before the feathers all settled back down and all the air came hissing out of his beak.

"Fine. I'm done," he muttered. Then he perked and hopped over to Lupin, landing on her free knee. She sat back up, leaning on her arms. "So. You're my trainer. My brothers and sisters were caught by some of you types running through here over the last few years. But…I don't think any of them had those things sticking out of their heads."

He began preening himself.

"Well…I'm not exactly human. Can't you smell it?"

"Some birds don't have that great a sense of smell, lady. We depend more on our sight and sound than our noses. You don't really smell all that much, except kinda…musky."

"'Musky'," Lupin repeated dully. Riptide rattle-laughed. Lupin reached over and flicked his hide.

"Yeah. Musky. Ain't too much else to say. Except you look weird." Syd cocked his head to the side. "Doesn't mean it's a _bad_ thing. Weird can be good, too."

Lupin didn't feel very moved or convinced by the bird's reassurance, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she shifted to gather her pack and motioned to Riptide to come over. He waddled closer and she scooped him up, replacing him on her shoulders. Syd fluttered into the air, circling overhead and came in for a landing—right on Riptide's head.

"Get. Off. Me."

"Naawww, I think I like this spot. You make a good perch, there, uh…what's your name again?"

"You won't live long enough to remember it by the time I'm through with you, bird. Get off my head."

"Empty threats, you wouldn't eat me." Syd hesitated, then leaned closer to Lupin's twitching ear and muttered, "He wouldn't, would he?"

Lupin shrugged. "I dunno. He kept staring at some of those rental Hoothoot down at the Haunted Forest like they were ready-to-go meals…"

She grinned at a little at the startled chirp Syd made. He promptly jumped back into the air with a flutter of his wings and came to settle on Lupin's other mostly-empty shoulder. His wing pressed against her cheek, warm and comforting and the smell of feather dust kept drifting over to her. It was…pleasant.

"I'm not taking my chances with that stinking reptile. I just remembered I heard about one of my cousins got offed by one of them Totodiles not too long ago."

"Smart Pidgey," Riptide crooned back with a chortle. "Know your place in the food chain and this team."

"Oi. No one is eating anyone while they're on my roster. Be nice," Lupin finally said, deciding it was time to intervene and nip this in the bud. She didn't want things getting ugly if they didn't have to. She knew she shouldn't have egged the situation on, but hell…she couldn't help it. It was kinda funny.

"Fine, fine," she heard from Riptide. Nodding in satisfaction, Lupin picked up her hat last and carefully tucked her ears away under it. After she did that, she started back down the path again.

"Well, now that that's over, why don't we start heading out to Violet City now."

"Violet City? I'm from around there. If you need directions, just let me know."

"Thanks, I'll take it into consideration. I kinda wanna try this new device I got from Cherrygrove City."

Lupin dug into one of her inner coat pockets and pulled out a blue device that she flipped open. A screen lit up and displayed a map of the Johto region. Syd and Riptide leaned in a little.

"Ooh. A pokegear. Isn't that the one the old man in Cherrygrove had?"

"He gave it to me while you were snapping at those Murkrow, yes," Lupin answered. She flipped it closed and put it back into her coat pocket. Syd sneezed.

"Ah, the tech you humans come up with."

"Lupin, where did it say we were on the map? Show it to us again," Riptide interrupted. She glanced at him. The little croc hissed, one of his yellow-red eyes level with her.

She frowned, but obliged in bringing it back up, showing where the little glowing dot was.

"From what I figured, each pokégear is tracked via satellite and can tell every registered user where they are. I did some research on it while we were still in Cherrygrove. The Silph Company is the leading technological corporation in Johto and Kanto. So long as we update the software, and even the digital maps, we can use this just about anywhere. It's not as popular in the other regions as it is here, but it's possible we could go to, say…hmmm. Unova? Is that it? Well, if we went there and uploaded a map card of that region, we could have the same advantages as say, here."

"Like I said, the tech you humans come up," Syd repeated, ruffling his feathers against her cheek. "I personally think a regular map woulda done nicely. Or my eyes up above, but hey, whatever works. Just don't go crying when it fails ya. Tech might be handy, but I seen plenty of humans get lost due to glitchy tech."

"We'll be fine, Syd. Don't worry," Lupin reassured. She still had her paper map tucked away in her pack, and she could guide them as far up as Mr. Pokémon's home. After that, it should be a breeze to make the appropriate trail over to Violet City. Riptide hummed against Lupin's other cheek, bumping his snout against it.

"We still have a week's worth of traveling to do. I suggest training while we do that."

"Those damned spiders are back just north of here. Everyone's vacated the area. We'll have to move in the daytime to get past them," Syd concurred. Riptide shuddered and Lupin reached up to pat his side.

"We had a run in with them coming back down after an errand a few weeks back."

"The Rangers mighta taken care of them, but I doubt it. They take forever to get their tail feathers down here. Evidence this and proof that…tch. Burn them out, I say. Might lose a bit of forest and a few pokémon, yeah, but something else will grow back. It always does."

Lupin frowned at the Pidgey's rather calloused opinion and it reminded her of the night she had brought fire to life with only her will. She had felt tempted, she would admit, to do the very same thing. It had been a fleeting idea, one that didn't stick, but now she wondered what would have happened if she had followed through. Riptide made no comment, and she wondered if he even knew.

She pushed the thoughts from her mind.

"Well, we don't exactly have a fire-type with us and I doubt we'd find one, short of trading one of you away or adopting one."

"You can keep an eye out. It'd be useful against the bug-types that roam the place, especially the poisonous ones. The grass-types are more docile, but a few can get uppity every once in a while. Those Spearow, though, they're a pain. They're always attacking me and my flock, and Ho-Oh forbid if those damned Fearow don't join in on their terrorizing us." Syd grumbled. "A fire-type would probably scare off any who try to attack us, too."

Riptide hummed again.

"We'll see. One step at a time. Let's just make it up to Violet City first."

"What're you gonna do up there, anyway? Challenge the gym leader there?"

"Who's that again?"

"Falkner. He specializes in flying-type pokémon, like me. I toldja, I live around the area. I know a thing or two about the place," Syd continued. He went to preening himself again.

"Um…well, not really. I'm not going there to challenge the gym leader. I'm…going to school."

"School."

"To…get my license, to be a trainer."

There was a brief pause, and the longer it dragged on, the more awkward it got. Syd became very still. Riptide froze as well, waiting.

"Wait a minute. You mean to tell me…you're not a licensed trainer?"

"Not…exactly," she admitted. "I…don't exactly remember…anything. About myself, where I'm from, who I was. I got amnesia. I didn't have a license on me when I was found, so I have to get a new one."

"Oh. That sounds…simple enough."

"Not really. I have to study for three weeks and then take some kind of test. I could use some help, though."

"From me, right?"

"And Riptide. He's…he's pretty good at this stuff. So, what do you say? Feel like sticking around for a while longer?"

"You askin' me? You're the aspiring trainer-to-be. Wait. Hold old are you?"

"Uh…according to my dog tags, I'm…thirty-four."

"…You're _old_."

"Shut it," she snapped back, although it wasn't entirely calloused. Syd chirped back, nipping at her bangs. She flapped a hand at him and he nipped at her fingers before going back to her bangs and preening through them with his beak.

"I meant you're old for a _starting_ _trainer_," he backtracked. "Don't take it too personally. There's plenty of adult students that go to the academy in Violet City. Looks like they got all sorts that go through there."

"She'll do fine. She's smart," Riptide said on her other side. "If she pays attention and doesn't _forget_."

"Oh, here we go again. Forgetful jokes at my expense. Ha-ha."

He rattle-laughed. "You make it easy."

"Shut it," she reiterated again with a sigh.

This was going to be another long trip, but now with double the company. _Joy_. She smiled in spite of herself, however. It wasn't going to be as lonely though, she reflected. Even if Professor Elm had snuck in Riptide to do this in the first run up here, she was…glad. She looked back on the idea of doing this alone and found that it wouldn't have been as fun to pass the time. It would have been lonely. She liked this a lot better.

And who knows, maybe she'd meet more amicable pokémon like these two. One could only hope, right?

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Escape

**Chapter Thirteen:  
Escape**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how****Pokémon****look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them ****out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**Note: I'll say this. John Williams' composition for the Jurassic Park films were brilliant for inspiration and setting the tone. And thank you to those of you who took the time to review; I greatly appreciate it! :D  
**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_Okay, I just figured this out…RUN!"_**  
-Malcolm, "**_**Malcolm in the Middle**_**"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"We shouldn't be here. This place is bad news. Zubat swarms, Geodude clusters—I even think there's some Onix roaming this area. This is a bad place."

Lupin ignored the nervous chirping in her ear. Riptide didn't seem to hold the same opinion, because he snorted rather indignantly. "We'll be okay. We're not going into the caves. Not far, at least. I just want a good look."

"Look when you have a team that can stand up to them rock-types and those filthy little bloodsuckers—look, I'm a _bird_. I have fragile little wings, as much as it pains me to admit. Tough ones, mind, but only to a point. If you threw a rock at me, I'd probably be hurting. You throw a boulder at me like some of those Geodude can, or Suicune help me, an Onix's _head_, I'm down. I'm out. I'm _gone_. There'll barely be any feathers to properly bury me. Trust me when I say this, the Dark Cave is a bad place for a beginner like you. And that's just the inner chamber of the first cave. This place has lots of them and they only get worse further in. Or so I heard."

"If you're only going off second-hand accounts, you do realize that gossip tends to double the lies and exaggerations, and they bury the truth, right? I doubt we'll get swarmed the moment we step inside, Syd."

They hadn't gone much further than the entrance, and he was already a nervous wreck. Further into the cave, she could see the first antechamber, the ceiling high, with plenty of crevices and hidey-holes in which something could hide. The ceiling was clear of anything living, but the claims of living rocks and any places they could be was endless. Somewhere deep within, Lupin could hear water running, dripping, sliding. A part of her wanted to go further in, where she could see another tunnel readily available for additional exploring, but this little outburst had Lupin hesitating as her nose picked up the clear nervousness Syd was radiating.

She reached up to scratch his head and he nipped her fingers. She withdrew them quickly, sucking on the tips and glaring out from the corner of her eye at the little brown bird.

"Hey!"

"I've seen it happen, I told you before; I _lived_ in this area. I flew all over the place between here and Violet City, and all the way down to New Bark Town. I know a thing or two more than you and that bratty little reptile you got over there."

Riptide hissed in reply. "What was that, you scrawny meal with wings?"

"You heard me," Syd countered back with a nasally hiss of his own. "What're ya gonna do to me? _Nothing_. Lady, trust me. The cave is bad news. You're not ready. Not with us, not like this. I'm good for an adventure and all, but not this. Not now. I prefer not being pitted against friggin' rock-types, they tend to have an advantage over us flying-types."

She hesitated again, taking in the little bird's words that were being chirped into her ears. She could sense the unease in his tone, although for all his worth, he was trying not to sound afraid. She reached up again, and this time she was allowed to rub at his head and he tilted this way and that, allowing her to get at all angles of his little skull.

"I'm taking your word into consideration, Syd. Don't think I'm not. But I'm not going much further than the entrance. I promise. We'll be fine," she reassured him. He was silent except for the flutter-ruffle of his feathers puffing up. Riptide let out a long sigh through his gaping jaws.

"You also seemed to conveniently forget I'm a water-type. I can compete against the weaker rock-types."

"Say that to me again when you get hit by a Zubat's supersonic and you're too busy bouncing off walls to deflect rock attacks. No, really. I'll wait," the Pidgey muttered back before sighing. "But, whatever. You're the boss, Lady."

"I have a name. Please use it," Lupin softly chided. Syd shrugged his wings.

"Naw, I like 'Lady' better. More classy, ya know?"

"Ugh. You sound like a punk kid."

"Says the woman who can't even remember who she is."

"Not you too!"

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

There was a strain in the air that continued to build and make the air thick with unbridled pressure, the heralding of an oncoming storm. The sky had long ago been drained of its colour and the air was wet with promise of fresh rain. When they had entered the first cave chamber, it had started sprinkling. Now a reprieve seemed to have taken place, yet from the looks of things, and from the heavy moisture in the air, the clouds above were heavy with their liquid burden and looked ready to unleash it all. But there was the ever-present tension in the air, a heavy pressure, the spark of _more_. It made Lupin tingle and buzz with unspent energy begging to be released. She continued to eye the angry dark clouds that had stolen away the cheery blue that had been there earlier that morning, if only briefly. There was going to be more than just rain, the sky seemed to promise.

"Another storm," she noted offhandedly. They stood at the threshold of Dark Cave, the darkness to their backs, the wrathful looking sky leering down at them from above.

"Looks like," Riptide carefully intoned. Syd shuddered.

"Hate these things. Especially when the sky lights up and makes everything too bright. Always feels like Raikou's going to come crashing down on our heads, wrath and all."

"You keep mentioning those names. Raikou, Suicune. Who are they?"

"You'll have to forgive the amnesiac, she has no idea about anything whatsoever."

"Rip…" Lupin murmured warningly.

The little blue reptile rattle-laughed. Syd crawled down her arm as she slowly dislodged her pack and sat, staring at the sky warily still. She cast her eyes around the forest beyond, tempted to make a run for it in the shelter of the trees, but then she remembered it wouldn't be wise to do so. If a stray bolt of lightning hit a tree they were under or close to, it probably wouldn't end well. Syd settled onto her knee, puffing up into a little feathery ball while Riptide slid from her shoulder to occupy her lap. The Pidgey eyed the blue gator suspiciously for a time before turning his gaze to Lupin.

"I'm not sure how you people tend to tell it, but this is how we pokémon tell it. A long time ago, the great sky god, Ho-Oh and the great beast of the sea, Lugia, lived in harmony. Lugia is the god of the seas and the storms, and swims in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean, keeping the world from being torn apart by following a great deep sea current. If he doesn't, the world will fall to ruin. And Ho-Oh, she is the guardian of the sky. She flies all over the world, keeping the balance in the air like Lugia keeps it in the seas."

Syd paused to preen one of his wings.

"So all is good, for a long time. The elders in my flock have even said that Ho-Oh has brought wars to a halt or stopped altogether by simply appearing to warring parties and clearing the darkness in their hearts. She brings happiness and peace to those who lay eyes upon her, her gift to humans and pokémon alike, and her way of keeping the balance. And the same can be said when the balance of the world is threatened and only the beast of the sea can quell it all. But, like every legend, there comes a tragedy."

Riptide shifted in her lap to stare at the bird more properly, his eyes half-lidded and boredom clearly dominated them. Lupin suspected he's heard this before.

"Ho-Oh never lands on the ground. She flies everywhere, never ending and whatnot. But there was one perch in which she took her rest, and that would be in Ecruteak City, which is to the northwest of here. The Bell Tower was where she took roost, and even then it was on rare occasions. Here, it gets a little iffy, this part. Some say someone provoked the great sky god and she took wing to defend herself and in the crossfire, she burned down the tower. Others in my old flock argue that it was a storm that had struck the tower and burned it to the ground. Other variations have been told, too, but the bottom line is, Bell Tower burned down, and the fire claimed the lives of three innocent pokémon."

Syd ruffled his feathers again and turned his head to look out the cave mouth. It was drizzling again, the soft patter of water hitting the ground catching his attention.

"Ho-Oh took pity on them and felt a heavy remorse for the deaths of these poor creatures. So, she revives them, brand spanking new, as compensation for having their old lives taken away. She gave them new forms, new abilities. They were as fleet-footed as the wind, and as destructive as the forces of nature that they were crafted after. There was Raikou, the god of thunderstorms, and he was said to be able to travel in the very lightning he creates in these storms of his. Entei was created as the god of fire, and he was claimed to have the power to create volcanoes by merely roaring. And lastly, there was Suicune, the swiftest of the three and according to legend, the embodiment of the North Wind. She can purify any tainted body of water with the mere touch of her paws, and can run across any watery surface as though it was land."

"Bah. Rubbish. No one's proven their existence. People have chased those folklores for years and have come up with nothing."

"Just because you can't see air around you doesn't mean it doesn't exist. You feel it filling your lungs, don't you?"

"Air has been proven as the substance we require to live and breathe, since we're organic beings, you tiny-brained bird. And you talk about these Legendaries as though they exist."

"Some believe they do, and apparently, some don't. It doesn't really matter. Strange things happened in the past, and people and pokémon alike told stories in which to justify the results and fill in blanks or to explain phenomena that they didn't really understand. And maybe there are those who don't believe in the stories, but we like to tell them anyway because they're _entertaining_," Syd countered haughtily, glaring at the reptile below him. "Not that I can expect much from a sheltered lab pokémon like you. You ain't ever been out in the wild and seen what me and mine have seen."

"I've seen plenty, and I've heard more about the whole of Johto from a more introspective side of things, thank you. Being a part of a research team has its advantages over a feral."

"Don't you look down your snout at me, lizard!" Syd leapt into the air and beat his wings, screeching in warning.

"Say that again to my face, you overgrown feather duster," Riptide snapped, baring his gaping jaws at the Pidgey. He crawled up toward Lupin's knees and gnashed his teeth. Lupin grabbed him around his middle and pulled him back in alarm. He squirmed at first, of course, but she held him steady while Syd stayed overhead, making tight little circles above.

"Enough, you two. You got me? Or it's back in the pokéballs you two go," Lupin hissed warningly. Riptide stopped struggling and leaned against her, looking rather sullen but for the moment, willing to give in for once. Syd gave a few more lazy circles around before coming back down to land near them. He hopped closer, pecking at the ground. Lupin reached over and rubbed at the top of his head and the back of his neck, beneath the downy of feathers and he leaned into the touch. The flesh beneath was warm to the touch, insulated by his feathers. He gave an unhappy coo when she finally stopped and pressed her hand toward his feet, forcing him to step onto it.

"Look, we'll have to wait out the rain until it lets up enough for us to leave, but in the meantime, try not to kill each other. You're supposed to be teammates, remember?"

"Tell bird brain to quit spouting off those tall tales and we'll all be just pecha keen."

"Oi, I'm serious. Knock it off."

The werewolf gave Riptide's belly scales a quick squeeze and he hissed at her, but grumbled a begrudging final affirmative. Syd sneezed.

"Lab pokémon. They think they know it all just cuz' you got it a little more privileged than most of us ferals," the little bird gruffly replied. "I see your type plow on through with new trainers all the time. You think you got the world pegged, but you'll see soon enough."

"See _what_?" Riptide demanded, glowering at the bird perched on Lupin's hand. Lupin frowned, tightening her grip on the Totodile, just in case.

"The world ain't all black and white with only a few smidgeons of gray here and there. It ain't cut and dry like you might believe it is, and not everything can be written down and explained away in a pretty little textbook or research paper. Even your esteemed bookworm professors can't explain everything about pokémon and the world we're in. I can't either, for that matter. I'm just a little Pidgey, but I know a few things more than you do about the real world. And if you're gonna go strutting around with that attitude across Johto, than Ho-Oh help ya, 'cuz you're gonna end up in a world of pain soon enough if you don't straighten up."

Riptide continued to quietly glower at the little bird, and as a precaution, Lupin moved her hand holding Syd a little further away from the blue-scaled reptile. He made no moves to attack, but she knew he had ranged attacks like water gun that he could have easily unleashed. She was glad he didn't as he finally curled in her lap, his back facing the Pidgey.

There was a long minute that passed between them all, a strained tension that seemed to drag on the seconds and make them feel like an eternity was passing for each and every one of them. When Syd himself deemed he was safe, he slowly crawled up the length of Lupin's arm before settling against her neck and cheek, preening at her bangs. Her ears occasionally twitched at the movement and he would teasingly nip at them in response, or even try to preen the fur of her ears.

Lupin laid her newly freed hand on Riptide's back. He was tense and angry, and she could understand it, to a degree. He had just had his hide handed to him, so to speak, by a tiny bird only a quarter of his size. But she had to agree with Syd; the Totodile could be a little bratty and he had a know-it-all attitude sometimes. While he was being more helpful nowadays, he still tended to be smug and not very humble about it.

Syd had laid a verbal smack down on Riptide, and for once, he didn't have a witty comeback to fall upon. He was unhappy and hurt, she could sense that much from his sullen silence. She glanced at Syd from the corner of her eye, but he gave no indication of apologizing and continued about his business.

"We should go soon. The Zubat tend to stir more often the closer it gets to nighttime, and those Geodude, I dunno. They look like boulders at first, until you trip over them," Syd finally warned, tugging at a strand of Lupin's hair.

The werewolf finally nodded. Perhaps it was time to go. She could set up the tent and they could enjoy a relatively quiet evening inside it and then—

—and then, at that moment, the sky had decided to drop its rain upon the world. Heavy sheets came pouring down, and even from several feet away, she could feel the iciness that permeated off the water. Lupin stared in incredulity and consternation, disappointment building up inside at first before a small sense of hope began replacing it. At least they had shelter for the time being.

Syd shuddered and let out a soft, disgruntled chitter in her ear.

"Oh, Arceus above, you're kiddin' me…" he grumbled, puffing a breath noisily through his little nostrils. "Great, now we have to stay in the cave and pray to the Legendaries above that we don't wake up with all our blood sucked dry or our bones broken by boulders."

"Syd, as much as I appreciate your oh-so-bright and cheery outlook on life…shut it. No, really. You're bringing me down with all this doom talk, man."

"I'm looking at this from a realist's point of view, all right? I told you earlier, I'm just one little Pidgey. I have fragile bones compared to a rock-type's, well…rock-hard body." He fluttered nervously against her, stilling momentarily. "I just, I don't wanna die in a place like this, okay? I don't wanna not see the sun and the sky in my last moments. If I have to go out, then that's fine, but…I wanna do it with the sun on my face and the wind in my feathers. Not in the darkness and cold."

Lupin was, for a few moments, taken aback by his words. Even Riptide stirred from his spot in her lap to glance back at the bird on her shoulder. He studied both her and Syd with those yellow-red eyes, and Lupin reached up to cover the Pidgey's feather backside with the palm of her hand. She stroked him a few times reassuringly, settling his feathers down with each one.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you in this cave tonight, okay? I promise."

"As sweet as that is, Lady, you can't promise something like that." He pressed tightly against her and rubbed his beak against her cheek a few times. "But I appreciate the sentiment all the same. Just…please, don't make me go back in that place again. I couldn't see anything. And I need my sight. I _depend_ on it. Not seeing anything in there was driving me nuts, I thought we were gonna get offed for sure."

"We'll camp out right here, close to the cave entrance. When the storm passes, we'll know about it." She continued to pet him, ignoring the disgruntled mutters from Riptide. What Syd lacked in sight in the darkness, her own only seemed to thrive. She could see every pebble, boulder, stalagmite and stalactite that ringed the chamber they had explored with what little light they could work with earlier. Temptation had called to her more than once to summon fire at a moment's notice in order for the other two to see, but the way Syd had quivered and shook against her earlier, she was afraid it would have startled him too much.

But her answer for the time being seemed to satisfy him. With that confirmed, she started setting up her sleeping bag. Riptide had, for the time being, waddled off into the rain to soak up the water as it fell. She couldn't understand why or how he could stand being in cold water but not cold air. _Must be a reptile thing_, she concluded for the moment.

For a while, she let him romp about in the puddles and the rain water, while she and Syd watched. It grew darker and Syd progressively shuffled closer to Lupin's neck and hiding under her hair. Occasionally he'd shiver and ruffle his feathers.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…keep an eye on that blue brat, would ya? He puts up a tough front and he slings around all that knowledge he learned at that lab of his, but…that's all it is. It's a front. He doesn't know as much as he likes to think he does and he knows it. You can see it in those eyes of his. I'm not saying he's stupid or nothing, but…he's got a lot to learn. And if he keeps carrying on the way he does, I'm afraid it might turn out to be a painful lesson. You're his trainer. Try to ease it up for him, ya know?"

"You seem to know an awful lot for a wild pokémon."

"Like I said before, I'm a little bird. I get overlooked a lot and I can listen in on things. You pick up a lot from traveling trainers. Labs and professors know plenty too, but I don't see that professor out in the field all too much when I fly around New Bark Town. I think he coops up in the labs and research departments too much. Sheltered life don't do too good for most pokémon. Makes 'em complacent."

Her ears twitched on occasion as he spoke, and every so often, her eyes would stray to the field outside the cave, where she could make out Riptide pounding through puddles. He didn't move like a traditional crocodilian could move. He could push up to his hind legs, and his tail was semi-prehensile. He was an odd thing, but then again, so was the bird perched on her shoulder. His wings were tiny, yet they could create a gust powerful enough to harm. He claims he was only a little bird, but she couldn't think of a regular bird having the muscle strength to create something even half as powerful as the buffeting drafts Syd could produce.

After some time passed, she rummaged through her pack and pulled out the dishes she had for her two pokémon, filling them with some chow. Syd hopped down to his perch as Lupin called to the little blue gator outside. He came trudging back, rivulets of water still sluicing down his blue hide. He collapsed beside his dish, half-heartedly digging into the food. Lupin noted the still-present surliness he kept directing at Syd with his glares. Not even halfway done, he finally pushed the dish away and muttered that he was tired.

The werewolf watched the sullen Totodile, her brow scrunching up in worry. She glanced over at Syd, who had watched the exchange as well. He ruffled his feathers, cocked his head, and then returned a quiet stare back at Lupin. He held her gaze for a few moments before turning back to watch Riptide.

"I'll go talk to him. You just sit tight," he said, and with a last peck of his food, he hopped away toward the blue-scaled reptile. Lupin wavered, almost tempted to get up and follow them as the little Pidgey motioned for them to head back outside. She stopped, however, at the parting glance from the little bird and sat back down on her sleeping bag. Her ears flicked and swiveled about, suddenly feeling hypersensitive to the lack of immediate company. She curled up, drawing her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. It was chilly, but she didn't feel it so much as she registered it.

Her thoughts came to a sudden halt at the sound of a loud crash further in the cave, however and she sat up, ramrod straight. Every inch of fur on her tail stood on end, and she sat there, stock still, muscles coiled and ready to spring. She stared into the dark abyss, suddenly paranoid of being watched. She stared hard and long, her ears no longer concerned or tuned to the conversation Syd was holding with Riptide. She didn't even hear them returning until Syd flapped around her ears and landed on her shoulder, his feathers dripping wet. She jumped in surprise, startling him in return and he jumped back into the air. Water sprayed everywhere and she flinched as some of it flicked onto her.

"Sheesh! You'd think with flappers like those, you'd hear us and anything within a couple square miles heading your way."

Lupin tried to settle her nerves, breathing deeply and evenly, but there was a shake in her hands she couldn't quite get rid of yet. She smiled, nonetheless, and waved the Pidgey's concerns away and offered her hand to him to land on when she felt steadier.

"I'm fine, just…thought I heard something else while you lot were talking, but it was nothing. Just the rain."

She avoided the pointed stare she received from Syd, and glanced instead over at Riptide as he came waddling over. She offered her lap to him and he readily clambered into it. He looked less morose, and she had to wonder what Syd had said to him. Her question, however, remained glued to the roof of her tongue.

"We should get some sleep and hope this storm is gone by the morning. We'll make it to Violet City by midday, if we're lucky." Riptide said with a gaping yawn, interrupting her thoughts. Lupin scratched his snout and laid down, letting Syd flutter into her sleeping bag's hood. He twitched and shifted until he was comfortable before settling into a squashed feathery puffball beside her head.

"You sure we'll be okay?"

"Yes, Syd. I'm sure." She reached up and gave him one last scratch behind his head and he chirped back. "If you say so, Lady…"

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Her head was ringing. Or was it her ears? She wasn't sure which anymore. But everything was spinning, that much she was sure of. The palms of her hands were bleeding—or they were. Or was it a part of her imagination? The copper taste in her mouth told her she'd bitten her tongue or her lip for sure, but the supposed wound was gone, no pain at all lingered. Her legs were still tangled in her sleeping bag, but they ached from where rock debris had fallen on them. She heard Riptide snarling and hissing, the noises he made echoing off cave walls and bouncing all over the place, making it hard to pinpoint where he was. Syd was screeching; there was terror in his voice. The air practically vibrated with fear and confusion and it was all reinforced by the frantic beat of wings. Dust clogged the air, making it hard to see past, but that wasn't what stilled her from getting up, to spring into action, to do anything but sit there looking dumb and dazed.

No, it was the sudden, growing rumble that made pebbles tremble along the cavern floor, softly at first. It was almost muted by the rainfall outside that had grown to a downpour, accentuated by the occasional growling clap of thunder and bright flash of lightning to follow up. But then it grew, and at first, Lupin thought it to be the oncoming onslaught of more thunder, but in between the rousing silence in the sky, the growls grew deeper and remained steady until it exploded into an offensive roar that shook the very air.

It made Lupin's heart race and her blood turn to ice in her veins. The anxiety that riddled her the night the Ariados and her brood nest had attacked her and Riptide paled in comparison to how it felt now. She was scrabbling up at last, ignoring the tearing feeling in her aching muscles, realizing a good amount of the debris that littered the cave floor around her must have hit her legs. Then a heart-stopping moment later, she realized it must have hit her head too, and that's why she hadn't awoken at first, why she had gotten up with blood in her mouth and a ringing in her ears.

_I might have a concussion. And my legs—did they break? Is that why they're hurting?_

She pushed it all away, her worry growing for the other two. She wasn't hurt now, and she could move. Lupin dove deeper into the blackness of the cave, and she could see a long, slithering shape make itself known, rising up nearly to the top of the cave's ceiling. Blundering about in the dark, whipping back and forth with uncertainty in his movements, was Syd. He was beating his wings frantically, screeching up a storm, perhaps in an effort to confuse the wavering, snakelike creature before them. It was gargantuan in length and girth, and its head was broad in length and width as well. A horn rose at the crest of its head and when it wagged its head, it brushed against a few stalactites above and broke them off with ease. They dropped down without a care, littering the cave floor. They shattered upon impact, kicking up more dust.

A gushing stream of water suddenly shot out from the ground toward the monstrous creature, the user hidden behind a wall of rock, but Lupin knew who it was. Roars punctuated the cave walls with each successful hit, the sounds of pain and rage balled up together. She rushed around, ducking on instinct when a tail came sailing toward her. She scrabbled forward, finding Riptide among the wreckage of boulders and fallen spears of rock and stone. He saw her approaching and stopped his torrential attack, waddle-running toward her. She scooped him up, ignoring the roars above them.

"That thing came out of nowhere—you got hit by the rocks, you weren't waking up—and there was blood, there was a lot of blood, but we had to get it away from you—"

"Come on, let's get out of here, let's go—Syd! SYD! Get away from it, let's go!"

"I can't see where you guys are, where are you?!"

She hesitated, glancing at Riptide clinging to her. His breathing was rapid and shallow, his eyes gone to mere slits. Fear wafted off of him, stinking up the air and she saw the worry in them as he turned to stare back at her.

"Don't get scared. Okay? Just…hold on to me."

He stared at her questioningly, before something lit up in those eyes.

"No, no, no. You can't use teeth and claws against that thing, that's an _Onix_! You don't even _know_ what they are, do you? It's made of _stone!_"

"I just want to surprise him a little," she warned, and despite the confidence she was trying to exude, she felt none of it in her core. Everything felt nervous and fluttery in her chest, like it was sinking away further and further down until it had dropped away completely. She had no idea if this was going to work or not, but she hoped her idea would work long enough for them to make a quick getaway.

"These things, they dwell in darkness a lot, right?"

"Yes, they do, but I don't know much about them beyond that—"

"Are they sensitive to light?"

"They're made of _stone_, they don't have the same organic reflex as we do when light sears our eyes. Just what—what are you planning on doing, are you going to wave a flashlight in its eyes?"

Lupin didn't answer him. Instead, she directed her attention to the fluttering form in the air. Syd looked so tiny and insignificant compared to the Onix.

She breathed in deep, digging for that hot spark she'd felt that night in the forest she had first summoned her fire. It was there, an internal flame that never seemed to dissipate, but neither was it overwhelming. It churned and danced, suddenly flaring to life as she coaxed it forward to the surface. She waggled her hand and it grew brighter, the tips suddenly sparking until a bright yellow flame sat atop there, growing until her hand was engulfed. Riptide made a strangled noise of surprise and alarm, his jaws gaping to unleash another water gun, but she squeezed him.

"Shhh, it's okay, I'm fine, it doesn't hurt. Look. I'm not burning."

His breath came in raspy swallows, a hiss growing in the back of his throat.

"You…you can make fire…" He said, almost in a trance by the flickering light. "So _that's_ how you fought off all those Spinarak that night…you scared them with _fire_."

She nodded, turning her attention to the great stone beast that loomed over them. Syd paused, fluttering in midair, taken aback before taking a nose dive toward her. He landed on her shoulder and buried himself against her neck, shivering violently. Lupin kept her gaze locked on the Onix, its great head hovering in the air just above them. Even in the dark, she could tell the stone boulders that comprised of its body was at least twice her height, but to see it in the light was as though it was truly confirmed and not just a trick of the shadows.

The Onix slithered around them, trapping them in a pen made by its encircled length. It leered down at them, like a snake would do upon its doomed prey. Lupin tried to hide the shiver that ran down the length of her spine as it brought its face closer to bear on them, a growl building in its stone throat.

"You are trespassing upon my territory," it finally spoke. Its breath smelled of dust and dirt, of darkness beneath the earth that no human—and very few pokémon—would ever traverse. "Do you know what happens to trespassers that come here?"

"I would guess you kill them."

A sound akin to thunder rumbled deep from the stone body around them, and it took a very long, belated moment for Lupin to realize that the Onix was laughing.

"I _eat_ them," it corrected, its voice rumbling deeply like stone grating on stone. It paused, swinging its rock skull around. Lupin turned as it did, keeping it within sight at all times. Riptide hissed quietly and Syd pressed even tighter against Lupin, hiding under a curtain of her hair.

"But you're a curiosity…I have never encountered one such as you. Tell me, to slake my _thirst_, so to speak…what manner of pokémon are you?"

Syd chirped nervously in her ear, but she heard the strangled gasp he emitted in between rapid breaths he took.

"Fire—you-you can make _fire_? Oh, sheesh, and here I thought the tail and the ears were it!"

Lupin ignored the nervous mutterings from the bird, trying to keep all her focus on the stone snake before her.

"I'm not a pokémon. I'm—I'm not even human, but I'm definitely not a pokémon."

"Don't try to lie to save your skin. You have fire dancing around your flesh, and those twitching appendages on your head and coming out your backside…you walk and look like a human, but you're anything but. I've heard tales of pokémon who use trickery to walk amongst the humans, but I have never seen it before, not like this. Perhaps one of those bedeviled nine-tailed foxes?"

Lupin was all too aware, of the continuous circling the stone body was making around her, trying to keep her and the other two hemmed within the Onix's perimeter. It dipped closer every now and then, as though trying to spook, but she held her ground even when her heart was pounding and every instinct told her to run.

"I've never heard of anything like that, but I can assure you I'm not some tricky pokémon."

_Second time, second bloody time I've done this. Gone against warning, gone against instinct…I don't even know what to trust anymore._

And they had only camped at the cave's entrance to get out of the rain. Instinct had told her to leave, to find shelter elsewhere, and so had Syd. _I didn't listen, I should have_ listened.

She caught a glimpse of light, the faint glow of lightning as it briefly illuminated the cave entrance. She could just barely make out her rumpled sleeping bag, the pieces of rock that had fallen near or around the entrance…

Her eyes strayed back to the leering Onix before her, chills still racing up and down her spine, but now the ice had spread to her limbs, her chest, her gut, everywhere. Even the warmth of the fire could barely be felt as she tucked Riptide closer against her. He clung back in return, digging his claws into her shirt.

"Syd…Riptide. Hold your breath, for as long as you can."

"What?"

"Just do it."

"I can't do it for long, Lady. What're you planning?" Syd trembled against her. Riptide bumped the tip of his snout against her shoulder, pulling himself up to it.

"Just do it," she repeated more firmly. "Just trust me. You'll be okay. Close your eyes. Hold your breath. I promise you'll be okay."

There was no point in whispering, her voice carried all over the place even when she spoke softly. The Onix tilted its head quizzically at her words.

"What is it that you plan to do? Threaten to melt me, like so many other fire-types have tried before?"

Another rumble of laughter gurgled from the Onix, vibrating the air around them. The tip of the rock snake's tail slid past them, just enough to show the cave entrance again. Time was up. Talking was over. The Onix was coiling to attack.

"No," Lupin responded, willing the fire to spread up her arm. Syd shrieked, but she shushed him. Riptide watched from her other shoulder, fascinated and terrified all at once. The Onix paused as well, drawn in by the sudden revelation.

"No?" The Onix inquired.

"No," Lupin repeated, trying to exude a little more confidence in her tone. Syd closed his eyes, cowering into the crook of Lupin's neck, feeling the heat drawing closer. Riptide watched, muscles frozen, terror and captivation keeping him rooted to his spot. "Hold your breath," she told him and Riptide again.

She turned back to the Onix and said, "I'm going to set myself on fire. Ta."

And that's just what she did.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**Note: Syd is a cheeky little guy. And apparently, Lupin gets a new and endearing enough nickname, learns a little about Legendary pokémon, and then decides to set herself on fire—along with her teammates—and oh right, and that Onix is one bad mofo. *cackles* Feel free to drop a word in the review box or a note to me personally! I'm always open to either. :3**


	15. Chapter Fourteen: The Violet Hour

**Chapter Fourteen:  
The Violet Hour**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how****Pokémon****look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them ****out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note:_ Inspiration mainly in thanks to the song title of the same name, by ****_The Civil Wars_****. Also, I kept losing all progress of this chapter. I had to rewrite the first couple of pages three times. **

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_[…] You need to _live_ and _breathe_ this stuff. The Dragon Manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know of. No attacks tonight. Study up."  
"Wait, you mean, _read_?"  
"While we're still _alive_?"_**  
-Gobber, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut, "**_**How to Train Your Dragon**_**"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The sun was bright and cheery as it shone down on Violet City, alighting the sleepy forest around it with golden light that crept through branches and leaves, bushes and wilds. The previous night's storm seemed like a distant memory, the clouds no longer present like they had been the day before. But the immediate evidence of its watery onslaught proved otherwise. Puddles were littered where they could hold water. The grass and earth alike were soggy, sucking down paws and shoes alike for whosoever dared step there. Buildings were only beginning to dry as the sun rose higher in the morning sky. Yet the austere and quiet still of the day's start didn't forgo people from taking to the streets, going about their business.

Although, for all the good that has come after the storm, the quiet beauty of the city's drastically different environment and architecture couldn't really be appreciated by the tired werewolf trudging through it. Syd was snoozing against her neck under a curtain of her hair, while Riptide was slumped across her shoulders. Occasionally, he'd slip against the top of her pack, mutter a few things and readjust himself before plopping back down. Lupin continued on her trek, following the nifty little signs that pointed out the way to the Pokémon Center. When she finally found the center and lurched through the doors, there were a few trainers milling about the lobby and a clerk was working at the reception desk. She had her light brown hair pulled back, a pair of glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, and a rumpled blouse and pair of trousers donning her person. She shuffled with paperwork in between clattering away on her computer before noticing Lupin standing there in front of her.

She jumped and did a double-take on the haggard appearance of the werewolf, and the weary pokémon slumped along her shoulders.

"You wouldn't happen to have any rooms open and a, uh…laundry room I could use, would ya?"

Lupin offered a tired, meager smile and could only imagine how she looked to the woman, who was still staring at her owlishly. But, much to the receptionist's credit, she didn't miss a beat at Lupin's request when the moment passed. She turned to a drawer in her desk, producing a room key and a logbook. She motioned to the book first with a manicured finger.

"Fill out the book with your name, trainer ID number, pokégear number, check in time, and number of pokémon you have on hand with you. I'll fill out your information into the computer later. The laundry room is down the hall over there, and if you want some hot food, the cafeteria's further down the same hall. Your room's up on the third floor, room C." The woman paused, offering Lupin a sympathetic smile as she placed the room key beside the logbook. "You look like crap."

"You should see the other guys."

Lupin took a pen from a cup holding a slew of them and began scribbling into the book.

"What happened? Did you get into a fight with a Quagsire and lose?" Lupin snorted. Riptide muttered something unintelligible. The woman frowned a little and added with a hint of concern, "Your pokémon look really worn out; maybe you should leave them here to heal up. What did you do to them?"

"Me? We were the ones who got attacked by an Onix last night when we had to camp out in the Dark Cave because of storm."

"The Dark Cave?" The woman's face went pale. "You camped out _there_? It's been off-limits for _weeks_ because of the problems we've been having with those Onix. First the Ariados queen and now this…we really just aren't having any luck with these things stringing along, one right after the other."

"Told ya, Lady. Bad idea," Syd chirped sleepily. Lupin reached up to pat him gently on the head before pushing the book toward the receptionist. She jumped and took it without a second thought, glancing at the filled out columns briefly. She turned to her computer and began loading up her check in program. The werewolf slowly detached Syd and Riptide from her person, gently setting them on the counter to continue snoozing. She gave them each another pat, murmuring they deserved a nice, long rest and she'd be back for them later.

"Wait…did…did the Onix you were attacked by…did it have dark rock-skin? Almost black?"

The woman looked up, surprised to see Lupin already retreating with her room key in hand.

"I dunno. You tell me," she called over her shoulder as she headed toward the laundry room. The woman stared, then turned back to the woman's slumbering pokémon. Nestled beside them was a pokéball. She glanced back at the logbook in her hands.

_Pokemon On Hand: 3_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Okay, so what am I doing now?"

"You boot up the PC and then you dump that bag of rocks into it, that's what. You're not keeping that murderous rock-snake on this team."

"Hey, hey, hey. I think I did pretty good getting Slate, don't ya think?"

"You—you _named_ that _thing_? And just as a reminder, you set us all on fire, you crazy, stupid, _insane_ _woman_. FIRE. How in the seven hells did you even _manage_ that? I'm still amazed we're all alive and not a pile of ashes that washed away with last night's rain."

Riptide glared at her from his seated position on the desk beside the computer screen. Syd chirped in her ear, pressing tightly against her neck as he preened at her hair. She continued to frown at him in return, glancing at the pokéball clipped to her belt, then back to the PC screen glowing before her. Outside, dusk was ushering in the night like a shepherd would his flock to new grazing lands, slowly but with obvious progress. He and Syd looked all the more better after some rest with the pokémon nurses and she with a nap upstairs in her temporary room. Riptide sighed, lowering his gaze.

"Look. You can't keep him on the team roster. Hear me out, before you get all huffy with me," he gave her a pointed stare when her cheeks flushed and she had an indignant response lined up on her lips. "Onix are known for their foul tempers and they're incredibly difficult to control, especially when they're being hurt and even more so, with new trainers. They rage about and it wouldn't matter who they hurt: opponent, trainer, or teammates alike. And judging from this particular one's foul temper, he wouldn't hesitate to crush you like a Caterpie, with or without the pain factor. Then he'd crush us, and he'd then go about his merry way back to the Dark Cave, or he'd stay here and wreak havoc until he grew bored or until the Rangers came to dispose of him."

Lupin shifted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable at his choice of words. "_'Dispose'_?"

The Totodile paused, recollecting himself. Then he twirled a paw in the air, as though to elaborate with more than just his words. "They'd do one of three things: they'd recapture him, kill him, or knock him out for relocation. Whatever their best choices would be. The professor is always butting heads with them regarding the inhumane option of killing them. He's more for relocation or capture. A lot of the professors are, in fact. The Rangers usually argue back that whatever option is the best given each case, they'll perform their duties with each situation that calls for it." Then the blue gator snorted. "Trust me. You're better off with me and birdbrain on the roster than him. Ever. You're too inexperienced. Onix require patience and a tougher team to keep an eye on with. We're not it right now, even if I have type-advantage. We have to play this out smartly."

"Hey! I heard that '_birdbrain'_ nonsense, you little blue brat! You better watch your mouth or I'll watch it for ya."

"I invite you down here to my level any time, up close and personal, you little feather duster runt."

Syd hissed and ruffled his feathers, wings rising to splay out menacingly. Lupin scowled, flicking Riptide in the snout and then Syd at his feet. They both winced back and settled down.

"Oi. Knock it the fuck off. I'm serious. Two words. Team. Mate. Put it together, and that's what you two are. Get used to it."

They grumbled and griped under their breaths, but didn't act up again. Riptide instead turned his attention back on Lupin. "Put that Onix in the PC storage system. You'll only be afforded one box because of your assistant lab tech license at the moment, but when you're a fully registered trainer, you'll be allotted thirty. One's good enough for right now, however."

The werewolf hesitated. Three was always better than two, but she didn't want to ignore the warnings she was being given this time around. That was a mistake she'd already made twice before. Riptide waited, watching her expectantly. Syd was absolutely still on her shoulder.

Finally she unclipped the pokéball resting on her belt and put it in the pokéball transfer device beside the PC screen. She clicked enter on the keyboard and the pokéball disappeared in a stream of light. On the screen, a box registered in her name appeared, and in the far left hand corner, a miniature avatar of an Onix, nicknamed Slate, appeared. She sighed, leaning back into the hard plastic chair. Riptide glanced at the screen, his eyes half-lidded. Then he turned to her and crawled into her lap and rested his crooked jaws against her chest, the tip of it touching her chin. She reached over to scratch at the spots he liked. He responded by closing his eyes and letting out a long hiss that fizzled out into a tranquil sigh, his body relaxing against hers.

After a time, she stopped, and his eyes slowly peeped open. Syd snickered.

"Welcome back, ya lazy reptile. Care to join the rest of us mere mortals now?"

Riptide shifted his gaze, if briefly, to glare at the bird, but said nothing to him. Instead, he returned his focus on Lupin and clacked his jaws.

"One more thing," he agreed. "But it can wait until morning. They might be closed by now."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

A full night's rest did wonders compared to the short nap from the day before. Lupin felt more energized, especially after a hot meal and a comfortable mattress to sink into.

Violet City was still in its discreet state of beauty and demure architecture, although now the three could enjoy it. Businesses held an ascetic setting that were neutral and functioning, while the homes held a quiet stately manner with their sloping rooftops and neutral colouration that seemed predominant in the city. They had their own sense of elegance, one that didn't stand out, but had to be studied in order to appreciate in full. Everything was downplayed and somber, but it held a regal kind of loveliness, a softness on the eyes that was both appealing and pleasing.

At first, Lupin had wanted to rush to the Trainer School, to register and get started, but when she arrived, the sign said it was closed.

"School isn't open on weekends," Riptide pointed out, sounding disappointed. "It's Sunday. I forgot about that. We'll have to come back tomorrow."

Disappointed, but still seeing the opportunity to fill her day with something else to do, Lupin decided that they should explore the city. Syd took this as a chance to leap into the air and follow on his own accord, while Riptide remained settled on Lupin's shoulders.

"If you'll follow me, I can show ya the highlights, straight from a bird's eye view, of course," he called from above. He banked along a tail wind and soared overhead, leading the way to the north. "We'll be heading toward Sprout Tower first. It's the tallest building here in Violet City, with the Violet City Gym at a close second. I might even see some of my old flock."

He sounded excited as he continued to fly above them. Lupin stopped only once, to pause at a vendor that was hawking wares and souvenirs from the Hoenn region. There was even some tourist-y merchandise, such as hats, backpacks, t-shirts, books, and key chains that featured pokémon she'd never seen before. Syd came in for a landing, settling on the back of her pack as she pulled her pokédex out to catalogue some of the pokémon images into it. Torchic, Treeko, Mudkip, Poochyena, Zigzagoon…those were but a few of the creatures featured in the merchandise.

There were a lot of children cramming themselves to the front, pulling at some of the shirts or posters, crying out that they liked this more than that, while others complained that they liked the Johto starters better. When one of them spotted Riptide riding along her shoulders, Lupin was suddenly surrounded by the lot of them, while the hawker in his stall watched with an ironic smile tipping at his lips.

"Hey, hey lady! Which water-type starter do you like better? Totodile or Mudkip? Is it Totodile, is that why you have one, huh?"

Lupin's tail bristled under her coat and her ears pressed even tighter against her head beneath her hat. She felt like she was in a sudden assault from the ocean, lifting her arms to keep them from being latched onto. The vendor laughed and she gave an uncertain smile as Riptide pushed up to his hind legs and let out a growling hiss. It startled several of the younger children, but the bolder ones remained where they were, their eyes glistening with wonder and awe.

"Oh, wow, so cool! They get so big when they evolve, even though they start out really tiny!"

"They all do, Thomas," a little girl countered pointedly, huffing at the boy who'd spoken.

"But a Feraligatr is cool! It's a big gator! Swampert's just a mudfish, that's not cool. I want a Totodile when I can get one! Lady, where'd you get yours, did you catch it?"

"Tell them, tell them," Riptide chanted in her ear and she felt her lips curving into a dry smile. She could practically feel the excitement shimmering off of him in waves, never mind the scent of it all. Syd chirped from the back of her pack, almost akin to an impatient sigh.

"You really are a little attention seeker, aren't you?" She muttered to him, before turning to the gathered children. "Honestly, I got him at Professor Elm's lab down in New Bark Town. I'm one of his lab assistants, and I didn't really choose him so much as he chose me. He's kept a good eye on my back when I can't do it myself."

The Totodile perched on her shoulder paused in his basking of attention to tilt his head at her, pinning her with a yellow-red stare. She reached up to pat his flat skull.

"I don't know much about the other two Johto starters, I didn't get to really work with them much, and I can't say I've ever seen those Hoenn starters in action, but I like Riptide fine enough. He's…he's a good friend."

This seemed to pacify them for a few seconds, before she saw the smiling vendor frown a little at her, the spark of ire building in his eyes. She grinned nervously before waving to the kids back toward the stall. "But-but, maybe you should give new pokémon a chance, huh? I mean, that little fire bird looks cool, right?"

She managed to slip away when they were looking, trotting down the street while Syd took off again, leading the way to the Sprout Tower. It wasn't hard to see where it was any longer. As the Pidgey had promised, it was the tallest structure in town, its uniform levels and sloping rooftops coming together to form a tall imperial looking pagoda. As they ventured closer, she noticed how quiet Riptide had grown.

"You okay there?"

She heard him huff out a breath and clack his jaws.

"Did you mean what you said back there, or were you only placating those little humans?"

She thought for a moment. "You have been a pain in my ass since the day I met you. You can be rude, smug, and a very unappealing know-it-all and sometimes you don't bother being humble about it." She paused, however, letting that sink in before continuing. "But, in spite of those shortcomings…you're a pretty brave little guy. You…you didn't have to stick it out with me. I know you were scared of me since…well, since the full moon, but you stayed and…I'm grateful for that. And when you're not being a showoff and a smartass about what you know, you're smart and it shows. You spent only half a year with Professor Elm and look at what you know already. I didn't really get that impression from the other two. I don't think I could've asked for a better partner."

They were approaching the tower now, and the land around it was littered with gardens and ponds, beautiful fauna covering every spare inch of ground they could afford, all behind the pagoda's simplistic, yet graceful and elegant entryway. Syd landed on the arch high above them, peeping at them to hurry up. In the sky close to the tower, a dozen or so Pidgey fluttered about and Syd paused to watch. She saw from the agitated bouncing in his step, and the way he paced back and forth.

"You can go ahead. Go say hi to your family, Syd," she called to him. He screeched back in exhilaration and took off with an excited beat to his wings, hurtling toward the other birds. Riptide remained quiet as Lupin followed the winding trail through the garden toward the Sprout Tower. Along the base of the building, twin statues stood on either side of the doors. They were reedy and thin in body, almost akin to vines, with a bulbous, flowery head. It looked almost comical.

In the middle of her studying, Riptide bumped his skull against hers, surprising her out of her thoughts.

"You're not half bad yourself. You know. For an older trainer."

"You expected a kid to pick you up, huh?"

"Something like that," he admitted. "They're easier to manipulate. Not that you're difficult, mind."

"Hey!"

He croaked out his rattle-laugh and head-butted her gently again. "Thank you."

She smiled, turning to the doors, her hand along the handle to pull it open. "No problem, Rip. Just try to curb the smug croc act every once in a while? It makes you more endearing."

"I make no promises."

"Pain in my ass."

"Of course. You need it every once in a while."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The rest of the day turned out uneventful. The upper levels to the Sprout Tower turned out to off-limits to non-registered trainers, and even her junior lab tech license couldn't grant her access to the higher echelons. After they left and managed to call Syd back, the three wandered around, and even made a stop at the gym. However, the leader, Falkner, was out training for the day, and his junior trainees were off as well.

"Does everything stop on the weekends?"

"It's the slow season for gym leaders. Granted, not everyone comes directly to Violet City to earn their first badge. Some start in Ecruteak, others in Olivine or Cianwood or even Blackthorn City. All over Johto, in fact. There is no strict order in which you can earn your badges. Every gym leader has a rotation of teams, depending on the skillset and strength of an opposing challenger. If you had three badges, for example, he'd choose stronger pokémon team than, say, if you came at him with only Syd and me and no badges. He'd choose lower-leveled pokémon, partly as a battle tactic and partly as an instructional battle, seeing as it would be your first badge being earned."

"Sounds like a pain in the ass to maintain."

"It can be," Riptide agreed. "If you were aiming to gain badges, that is."

Lupin didn't respond to it, and he didn't press the issue. They retired for the night, with Syd perched on a newly acquired bird stand delivered to the room, while Riptide sprawled on the bed as Lupin wound down from the day's slow events. The rest of the night passed by and morning came all too soon, but Lupin was brimming with excited energy just beneath the surface. At first, she had decided to come to Violet City to attend the school course on a whim. The longer she thought on it, the more she considered its pros versus cons, she felt surer about gaining her license. And, finally at the behest and pestering from Riptide, Lupin had called the professor about her decision while they were Catallia City, but the remaining elements of paying for the course were still in the air.

After that chat, the professor had gotten off the phone, telling her he'd help take care of that issue. She hadn't heard from him since, and it didn't hit her to call him until she was standing in front of the trainer school, minutes before it was scheduled to open. Crap.

She stood there, torn between going ahead inside when it opened and hoping it was taken care of versus leaving to go somewhere private to call the professor about it.

Her decision, however, was made for her, when she heard someone rapidly approaching, long before she saw them. She turned toward the noise of puffing breathlessness to find a portly man hoofing it her way down the street. His brow was sopping wet with sweat and his hair flopped over as he came to rest by the front door, fumbling in the pockets of his slacks for keys. They tumbled out of his hands when he managed to snag them and Lupin bent quickly to pick them up.

The taller portly man paused, gaping, then cried out with a lunge toward her when she offered him back his keys.

"Oh, you must be—Professor Elm mentioned you were coming, but you're three days behind, we were expecting you so much sooner—_Mademoiselle_ Ferus, I presume, _oui_?"

He was holding her hands, and the keys shook in her hands as she contemplated ripping away from him, but she faltered at the mention of her name and the professor. Riptide hissed menacingly, snapping his jaws at the man and he laughed instead of shirking away like most would. Syd shuddered, his tail feathers whipping back and forth as he eyed the man with equal fervor and suspicion. Faintly, Lupin finally nodded. The man grinned, his cheeks still ruddy from his run.

"Oh, where are my manners—yes, of course, _Monsieur_ Earl Dervish, director and teacher for the Pokemon Academy here in Violet City. I am to teach you in the upcoming course. Professor Elm helped arrange it; I owe him a bit of a debt and hope to clear it with this favour."

"You…owe the professor?"

That seemed a little hard to believe. What kind of favour would a school teacher need to have ended up owing a famous professor?

He seemed to read her thoughts, because Dervish laughed suddenly.

"Oh, so grim, _mademoiselle_! Do not worry, _ma belle_ _étudiant_. It's just a favour to repay him for having helped me get my academy started up here in Johto. I immigrated from Kalos, but here I am now!" He smiled easily at her, and it put her somewhat at ease, especially when he finally released her hands and took his keys from her with hearty thanks and unlocked the front doors.

He waved her inside.

"Come, come! Most of your registration is almost completed, but I must have your signatures on some paperwork."

"Wait, wait. I didn't need him to do all that for me—really, I can pay at least half the course costs—"

"So grim once again, Mademoiselle Ferus—this isn't for you, solely, it's also for him. He had requested this as a favour for him, and you are merely in the crossfire. Now, come with me, to my office! We don't have much time, students will be here within the hour."

"Wait, when does my course start?"

She followed after him into the building, passing through hallways of polished wood and sliding doors. Some pictures hung on the walls, a few of Earl Dervish himself with a multitude of pokémon at different points in his life. One such photograph showcased him with a male dancer's uniform on, and a large lion with a fiery-looking mane, almost as though the fur itself was made of fire, seated beside him. The lion itself was elegant and huge, with soulful yellow eyes and a healthy coat of fur that practically glowed. Dervish himself was younger, and slimmer in stature, the ideal body type one would expect of a male academy dancer. Perhaps he was in his late teens, early adulthood, but he had the same winsome smile and twinkle in his eyes in the picture as he did now.

Dervish chuckled as he noticed her straying attention and when she looked back at him, he motioned for her to follow again. She obliged, with Syd cooing quietly and preening at his feathers and Riptide craned his head to stare at the small, dark classrooms they passed by.

"All in good time—although now is as good as any time," he said, stopping before a door and slid it open. He motioned for her to step inside first and closed the door behind him as he entered after her.

"Your class starts today."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

By the end of the day, Lupin was burdened with three textbooks, a fresh notebook, writing utensils, a course outline and policy letter of expectations of her, as well as some mind-boggling concepts to wrap her head around. The first day had been an introduction of sorts to ease her into the pace of things, but surrounded by the other adults—ranging from her age, a little older, and even a little younger—and their pokémon were disconcerting enough distractions as it was. Lupin kept staring around her, only paying half her attention to the introduction of the course. She felt out of her depths there, knowing that everyone around her had more knowledge than she did.

And yet, she was grateful for the quiet translations Riptide would provide her—when he could, that is. There were times when he was silent, as though mulling over the information himself and was learning as he went just as she was. Syd remained quiet the entire time, except for the softest trill, coo, or murmur. Earl Dervish was working with the adult classes for the course, while his other teachers handled the younger generations.

Sprawling out on her bed, Lupin carefully arranged all the books, pamphlets, and paperwork she had been given. Riptide was snoozing on the werewolf's pillow as Syd pecked at the food dish that he was perched upon, occasionally pausing to glance at Lupin or Riptide. For the next hour or so since their release from class, she'd spent her time thoroughly reading through the paperwork, making marks on things she didn't quite understand or needed better clarification on.

By the end of it, she had everything put back in her pack and she laid back, expelling a long sigh. Moments later, a bony pair of jaws clacked on the top of her brow, a low hum emanating from its owner.

"Can I help you?"

"You make a good jaw rest."

"I'm sure I do."

"You're the perfect height when laying down. I'm sure when I'm bigger, you'll make a good arm rest."

"Don't push your luck," she replied, closing her eyes. "How big do Feraligatr get?"

"My mother and father were pretty big. Feraligatr in general usually are. They're taller than humans." He paused. "Most definitely taller and heavier than you ever will be."

"Even with my furry snout in place?" She grinned. He snorted.

"Even then," he replied. "When…when is the next full moon?"

"…less than a week. I made a calendar, to keep track of them all."

Riptide was quiet for a long time. Syd listened passively, and whatever comments he may have had, he kept them to himself for the time being.

"What're you going to do?"

"Might have to cut it close. Go out into the woods right after class, and hoof it back in the morning."

"You'll be exhausted," he pointed out. "We barely made it to town the day after the last time its happened."

"I know."

He made a soft noise in the back of his throat, one of discontentment, dissatisfaction. She reached up to rub at his head. "I'll be fine."

"I'm not so sure. What if you get caught? What if someone tries to fight you in the woods? What if—"

"What if I got hit by a bus while crossing the street tomorrow?"

He fell silent.

"I don't have much choice. I can't skulk around the city. Well, I mean I could, probably. But it'd probably be a piss poor decision to do so." She allowed a beat to pass. "And I'll get hungry. I don't want to accidentally hurt someone or their pokémon. There were deer out in the woods the last time. I can find some more."

"You mean Stantler? You hunted _pokémon_?" Riptide reeled in horror at first, lurching away from her. Lupin tilted her head to look at him, her brows knitting in worry.

"No, no. I don't think I did, they didn't attack me, at least. That's what would've happened if they were Stantler, right? They looked like regular deer. It didn't…it didn't have those knobby things in its antlers."

The Totodile relaxed some. There were mundane animals that lived side by side with pokémon, of course. Regular cats, dogs, fish, birds and the like ran about as rampant as pokémon did. Deer were no exception, but they weren't as crafty and wily as Stantler could get. Or so he's heard anyway, he'd never really seen them in action. They also had a tendency to steer clear of normal deer herds, although there were the occasional oddball exceptions. They'd seen the big horn pokémon roaming the forests just before they had hit Violet City, and around the fringes of the road from Cherrygrove, but they never ventured closer. He didn't know whether to believe her or not and he couldn't recall the scent of blood she'd been flecked in the morning she came back. He'd never had a whiff real good of Stantler before, but he hoped and trusted she was truthful.

"You should stick to the north, than. It's too dangerous east of here."

"I know."

"And stay away from the city. If someone saw you, they might mistake you for a pokémon."

"Rip. I know."

"No, you _don't_ know. You don't remember being what you are, you—you don't remember _anything_ about yourself, how can you sit there and say 'I know' when you _don't_?"

She stared at him, studying the blue gator, huffing with his jaws gaping open as he stared hard at her. Over to her side, Syd's wings beat furiously and an instant breeze kicked up. She felt a weight settled on her stomach and she looked up, distracted. The Pidgey stared back at her, head cocked to the side.

"I don't know much of what's going on or what you're planning, Lady, but you should know that you don't have to pretend that things are all right with you if they ain't." He hopped closer. "Leatherhead over there's got a point. If you don't know something, it's all right to admit something. Saying you know something when you really don't, it can land you in a heap of trouble. Just lookit the mess at the Dark Cave and that Onix. We nearly got crushed like a buncha Weedle and Caterpie. I'm not saying it was entirely your fault, but you made the decision to stay there for the night. You're the trainer. We look to you, ya know? But we get to put in our word about things. Or at least, we should."

He tilted his head to the other side, ignoring the mutters from Riptide in response to the 'leatherhead' name.

"I dunno what a werewolf is, or what it entails to, or what's gonna happen…but if you need us, just ask. Don't try to keep it all locked up inside ya. Could get messy later on. My cousin Vinny had troubles like that. Bad ending." He paused. "So why don't ya start fillin' me in? You been kinda quiet on the whole nonhuman business concerning you and those perky li'l ears and bushy tail of yours there."

Lupin hesitated, her tongue pressed to the roof of her mouth as she regarded the little bird for a while longer. Her ears had pressed against her head over the course of his little speech and the Pidgey chuckled, hopping forward again to tug at her bangs.

"Ah, don't look so glum. Everybody needs help sometimes. Even blue boy over there."

The werewolf smiled and brought a hand up to cup the back of the bird's body, and she got a good whiff of feather dust. He gave another playful tug of her hair. She sighed.

"Okay, just…bear with me, okay?" She paused to reach for her bag, yanking out the Book. Syd fluttered back to his stand as she sat up and Riptide crawled into her lap, resting his jaw on her knee. She rubbed at the back of his head, her fingers running along each bump and dip of his back's hard, protective plating. She glanced back up at Syd and motioned to the book.

"This is…kind of where I know a little about myself. But not as much as I'd like…"

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**_Note:_ Not much has occurred here, except for moving along of the story, introducing some characters and generally just...yeah, pushing things forward. There'll be more next chapter. **


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Lost

**Chapter Fifteen:  
Lost**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how****Pokémon****look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them ****out when their time to show up comes. :3**

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_Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves._**  
-Henry David Thoreau**

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"What's taking her so long? She's gonna be late for class."

"Hold on to your tail feathers. I'll go check."

"Does this always happen?"

Riptide paused at the partially shut bathroom door to glance back at Syd on his stand. The Pidgey was dancing to and fro agitatedly, his feathers fluffing and re-fluffing as he did so.

"I'm not sure. I think so," he admitted, suddenly feeling uncertain. Perhaps he should have made it more his business to learn what he could about werewolves. If this was going to happen every full moon, he'd need a counteractive plan to help where he could. Even with what little he knew, he felt Lupin was withholding more information than she was willing to share.

Riptide waddled forward on all fours toward the bathroom door and pushed it open with his snout. Inside was humid and hot, which he found pleasant. The mirror was fogged up and steam rose from the shower. The curtain was drawn back and he could see Lupin's silhouette from behind it, moving rather slowly.

"You're going to be late," he called above the shower's noise.

"I heard you two bickering back and forth," she muttered back. He snorted.

"Then you'll know that you're going to be late," he repeated more firmly. "Hurry it up."

"I'm almost done. Hold your horses," Lupin yawned. Moments later, the shower cut short, and an arm snaked out from behind the curtain to snatch up a warm, fluffy towel from the sink counter. Riptide waited, somewhat loathe to leave the warm cocoon of the bathroom's humid heat. It felt pleasant against his scales and was a rather enjoyable temperature for him. Why couldn't the rest of this blasted city be like this? At least the spring showers should be behind them, and soon, the ushering of summer would be underway and the heat would pick up. He couldn't wait for it.

But, he finally relented and waddled back out of the bathroom as Lupin slowly dressed in the bathroom. She'd had to replace her muddy clothes the night they'd arrived in Violet City; they had been stained too badly to recover. Now she was dressed in a plain black shirt with dark cargo pants, and the newness of it all was rather evident by the lack of wear and tear on them, as well as that crisp, clean look of off-the-shelf freshness they exuded. She sighed as she fumbled to get her coat on, then her hat, and lastly, her pack. It was mainly empty of her camping supplies now, hosting instead her class supplies, and of course, the Togepi egg Professor Elm had entrusted to her to hatch.

As soon as she was set, they left the housing room in the Pokémon Center and made for the academy. Riptide and Syd were both brimming with unbridled agitation and energy, their anxiety having kept them up most of the night. What little sleep they caught while lounging in the room alone for the night had been fitful and broken. Now they were beginning to feel that energy drain out of them as the werewolf made her way around the few blocks to get to the academy. Before they made for the final block where the school was, however, Lupin made a pit stop at the Wooper Café down the street from the center.

Pokémon treats, breakfast, and coffee: the ultimate trifecta.

"You're almost an hour late, you realize," Riptide offhandedly mentioned as they exited the shop nearly ten minutes later. Lupin paused mid-sip with her coffee. Then she calmly finished, took in a breath, and let it out just as slowly.

"…Shit."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The next passing week went by uneventfully. Notes were taken, slideshows were shown, and a test was conducted, as it was outlined in the class curriculum. It became clear, after the first few days, who were the sharp tacks of the class and who needed just a little more effort put into them to get the class material.

Even without her two pokémon's input, Lupin was easing her way rather smoothly into the class, minus the hiccup on the day she was late. Riptide was impressed. Syd didn't have much to reference her off of, so he was just as impressed with the entire thing.

"You could easily be the top of the class," the gator commented in the middle of the second week. Lupin was lounging in a chair in the lobby of the Pokémon Center, a book propped open in her lap and a notebook on top of that. Half a page was already filled out with extensive answers to a sheet of questions that sat underneath the notebook. Lupin glanced at the Totodile. Syd was perched on the blue gator's head, and he peered into one of Riptide's yellow-red eyes.

"Think she could be?"

"I don't see why not. She's catching onto the material faster. Impressive…for someone who has an empty head, that is."

"Har, har. Forgetful jokes again?"

"I won't let you off easily," Riptide remarked offhandedly. He bobbed his snout toward the paperwork in her lap. "Question seven, you're almost done with it. Let's hurry up and get it finished with so we can get some chow. The cafeteria closes in less than an hour."

"Then, why don't we take a break? I don't want to end up with scraps again, or worse, no food at all or we'll have to go back out in town."

"What's wrong with that?"

"The food here is relatively cheaper than going out in town," Lupin remarked.

"You people and your currency. You'd think you'd be happy just trading a rawst berry here, an oran or cherri berry there. Instead you got this coin and dollar system going on. No wonder you rob each other, it's all shiny and attractive. You guys should just get rid of it and go back to the berry trading system. We pokémon don't have any troubles with that."

"Money doesn't degrade or rot away when left alone for long periods of time. Berries do, birdbrain."

"Oi."

"Right, right. Sorry…" Riptide snorted, before he moved to clamber up Lupin's arm and up her shoulder. Syd jumped and hovered in the air, his little wings beating fast until he angled in for a quick landing on Lupin's other shoulder. She gathered up her things and stored them back in her pack, shuffling off toward the cafeteria. The rest of the evening passed without much incident, up until Lupin was rereading through her class curriculum. She stopped in her perusing, caught up on a future upcoming class: properly catching a pokémon.

"Oh."

"What's 'oh'? Is that a good 'oh' or a bad 'oh'?"

She motioned to the paperwork she was reviewing. Riptide glanced at her pointing index finger, then back at her face.

"I can't read human language. I told you this before."

"Then what about that book I was reading back at the professor's lab a few months back?"

"What book?"

"You know. That battle tactics book. The one I was reading back when I had babysitting duties in pastures with you lot."

It took a moment for it to click, but she saw it in his eyes when they did.

"That? I heard Phillip mentioning it when I came over."

"Likely story."

"I really can't read this, Lupin," he motioned a paw toward the sheet of paper. "Now what are you 'oh'-ing about?"

"That's not a word," Lupin pointed out.

"Just tell us already, we're quivering with anticipation, Lady," Syd called over. He snickered when Lupin shot him a glare. She settled down, however, casting her eyes back onto the paperwork.

"We're supposed to catch a minimum of two pokémon on Friday in a field demonstration trip. It'll be a part of our grade."

"Is that all you're worried about? You'll be fine." Syd took off to swirl lazily in the air above them. Lupin held up a hand for him to land. As she pulled him in closer, he took initiative to leap onto her shoulder and burrow up against her neck and under her hair. "You caught that rock snake just fine. Or close to 'fine' as you'll ever get. A little Bellsprout or something will be a cinch."

"No, I'm not worried about that."

"Then what?" Syd inquired further. She leaned against the headboard, the bed's pillow wedged under the small of her back.

"I can't really defend against what if scenarios and it'd be a bit dumb if I over-prepared."

"Potions, extra pokéballs, and a good amount of antidotes, paralyze heals, and some awakening bottles as well. That's about as prepared as you can be at your level."

Lupin hummed noncommittally.

"I'll keep it in mind," she finally said, glancing toward the window. The soft glow of Violet City brushed against the glass pane, echoing off the white curtains framing it. The werewolf got up to pull them shut. "So, how about a movie break? We got _Rock Monster Lake_ or _The Jynx Curse_."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Come back here, you little thief!"

The rusty orange and black striped dog was fast, pumping his little legs to propel him forward as fast as they could go. But the girl was fast, even when she was weighed down by her travel pack and that blue gator of hers. He thought he was in the clear when he ducked into an alley a block away and hid between two dumpsters—but then that nosy little Pidgey came screeching around his head and pecking at his nose and eyes. He yelped and spit flames to scare off the Pidgey. The little bird squawked indignantly, surprised and annoyed all at once.

"Over here, he's over here!" He cried once he'd gathered his bearings.

_Uh-oh._

He whimpered through the little package in his mouth, darting down the alleyway to escape and make it back to his master. Just around the corner of that little café that girl and her pokémon—and oh so many other trainers—often haunted nearly every morning. But he was fast, faster than any human, even if this particular one was faster than the usual ones he was used to encountering. He went for broke, feeling pure energy speed him along. The wind rushed through his fur, roared in his ears, and filled his lungs as he spurred himself forward on quick little paws. He almost felt like a true Arcanine, even if he was only one grubby little Growlithe in reality. It didn't hurt to daydream a little for the day he evolved, did it?

He imagined he was rushing along as the larger canine, outpacing all footrace opponents. He imagined even overtaking the Legendaries themselves, past Raikou and Entei and even the lovely Suicune. He dreamed he and his master would one day live in a big home with lots of space and room to move around, with lots of food and drink, and a roof over their heads like they used to. A cardboard box wasn't all that fun when it rained, after all. Especially for him.

He darted behind homes and through backyards, doubling back through front yards and alleyways between buildings. Violet City's back ways were his home turf, not some outsider passing through. He could shake anyone. And yet…he was starting to doubt himself and lose all sense of hope at this perpetually annoying mark. She was fast too. She wasn't relenting or giving up—it was only a measly pastry!—and seemed determined to catch him. The thought of returning to his master came unbidden and already his legs were pumping fast to propel him back to the safety of his master.

The little Growlithe yowled in surprise when a gush of water scored his side and soaked his fur. It almost tripped him up, but he recovered quickly, tumbling through a fence opening in another back alley between buildings. That stupid little Totodile. Maybe he shouldn't have marked a trainer with a water-type. That would've been smart, but he was so hungry, and so was his master.

He began doubling back to the café, finally feeling his legs dwindling in energy, his adrenaline slowly flagging. It picked up a bit at the big overhanging sign of the coffee shop, however, with the little Wooper relaxing in a coffee cup. Ugh. Woopers. Those happy-go-lucky little water-types thought spraying him in the face was funny. He _hated_ that!

_Not now, not now_, he reminded himself, flying past a woman walking her Snubbull. The woman shrieked in surprise, and the Snubbull shouted at him to watch where he was going. He glanced over his shoulder to see the other woman was still chasing him and that Totodile was glaring at him from his perch on her shoulder. His heart sank briefly and he turned his head back around, and his heart came right back up, enlightened, at the familiar sight of his little cardboard box home and his master sitting right outside it. He tried to yelp, to warn him, but it came out strangled when something caught up in his legs, making him tumble over his own paws. The bag flew from his mouth as he somersaulted several times over himself. His back struck hard concrete. His paws flailed. He bonked his head a few times. Everything, plainly speaking, was hurting by the time he came to rest just at his master's feet.

He whimpered, licking at one of his offended paws, but paused when he felt a gentle hand on his head, and a soft chuckle filled his ears. It was interrupted by a short fit of coughs, but then the chuckles came back again.

"There you are, Bullet. I was wondering where you'd gone. Were you off causing mischief again?"

He looked up at his master's face, saw those blue eyes crinkling in amusement. He whined again and licked at the hand on his head. His white beard was as snowy as he remembered it, and his weathered hands continued to stroke his head. It felt good and he leaned into the touch, sighing, feeling safe once more.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know you were hungry, I wanted to get you something, but I—the bag!"

He whipped his head around to find the woman and her Totodile and Pidgey standing in the alleyway, the pastry bag clamped in her hands. She was frozen, however, staring at him and his master. Her face was unreadable, but the Totodile was hissing low in his throat, yellow-red eyes boring into him. The Pidgey was busy preening his feathers. Some of them were singed and he was muttering about it and would occasionally shoot him a nasty glare.

"Oh." The woman said, dropping her gaze to her bag.

"Bullet…were you stealing again? I thought I told you to knock that nasty habit off."

He winced when a finger flicked his ear. The sting took a few moments to wear off and he whimpered, dropping his head on his paws.

"I'm sorry…but I didn't want you to starve, I just wanted to get you something to eat!" He knew his voice fell on deaf ears, however. His master couldn't understand his tongue any better than that woman could. People just couldn't seem to understand pokémon, even when they were speaking as plainly as they were. He could understand them all just fine, but it was all about _body language_ to them. _That_ they got, but not plain words…

"I'm so sorry, ma'am, about my Growlithe. I don't know where he gets the idea that it's alright to steal from people. I've told him time and again not to do it, but…"

"No, no, really, I didn't realize it was for you—"

"Nonsense. I won't take your food. He knows better."

He peeped up to see his master giving him a rather reproachful look. Bullet dropped his face to bury it under his paws again. At least the woman wasn't having her Totodile hit him with that water gun attack again. Not in front of his master. He whined again, peering up at her between his paws, and he froze when he saw her staring at him. Not glaring or huffing or hatefully like some people are wont to do when they spied him with his homeless master. It was pity. It was warmth. It was understanding. He lifted his head just a bit, cocking his head to the side.

It has been so long since someone has shown him that look, aside from his master. Most people ignored the two of them, going along their business, pretending they weren't there. Some offered money, or food, yes, but it was always done hurriedly. There was the local shelter for the homeless, yes, but his master didn't like staying there. Others have tried stealing his few belongings. One even tried to steal _him_. But the workers there hardly ever looked at him or his master; they didn't really _see_ them, not like this, and not in a long while.

The woman hesitated, her brow drawing up in concern and she looked at her Totodile. They seemed to exchange a silent message to one another, because before he knew it, the bag was being pressed toward him.

"Here. No, really, you two could use it more than us."

"Ma'am, please, I—"

She shook her head, stepping back when his master picked the bag up and tried to hand it back. Sometimes he wondered why his master had to be so damned honourable and so…so _nice_. Why couldn't he just take the food and be happy that someone else was nice and stupid enough to give it away? He whimpered at her, at him, at the whole situation. He was so confused. First that lady chased him for the food he'd taken; now she was freely giving it up. People were strange.

She was backing away now, shaking her head one last time and then she was gone, slipping around the corner of the building. He stared after her long after she'd gone, before good sense finally hit him and he glanced back at his master. At first, it looked as though his master was staring after the woman too, but the glazed look in his eyes told Bullet better. He'd forgotten about the encounter, the bag, everything. Again. Just like yesterday. Just like the day before that, and the day before that…

The little Growlithe had forgotten himself how long ago this had all started, now that he thought about it. It's been so long since his master had begun forgetting things. It was small at first. But then it grew to be more and more things. Now, here they were.

Bullet picked it up and dropped it in his master's lap. It startled him, but he recovered quickly and patted him on the head, sighing deeply.

"Perhaps we should go to the park today, yes? It's a lovely day, Bullet. Oh, what's this? Did you bring me food? Aren't you a wonderful pokémon, thank you."

Bullet whined, his ears pressing against his head, laying his head on his master's knee as he dug into the pastry within. He broke half of it off and gave it to the Growlithe and he ate it halfheartedly. It didn't taste as appetizing as it had smelled anymore.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"You shouldn't have fed that homeless man. For all you know, it was a scam."

"For all you know, he really is homeless and lives out of a cardboard box on a good day when the weather's cooperating."

Riptide snorted, but said nothing further. They were late to class—again. This wasn't a good message to send to the teacher. Even if Lupin was in the top of the class. That alone was probably what was saving her from being sent out to the wringer. She was smart, smarter than Riptide had expected. She blew the others out of the water when it came to grasping tactics, strategies, identification, typing, so on and so forth. When they arrived at the academy, they were only ten minutes late—a step up over the last time. Mr. Dervish only gave them a passing, reproachful look, but he didn't stop his lesson. Lupin quickly caught up and soon was delving into her work, although Riptide could tell from the way she worried her bottom lip that she wasn't entirely focused on it. He didn't say anything, and neither did Syd, surprisingly. The Pidgey loved to yammer on in her ear, but today, he was unusually quiet.

The hours passed and then they were released for the day, burdened with another load of paperwork to be completed by the end of the week. Some of the other adults lingered to chat with one another, but Lupin was the first out the door.

"You have a look on your face. I don't like that look. It means you're going to do something stupid."

"You don't know that," Lupin replied to him. Riptide hissed at her.

"I know you well enough to determine that much. Don't. Please don't go back to that homeless man, he might have moved on already."

"You don't know that, either."

"I knew it, it was something stupid. You're going to feed him again, aren't you?" He groaned. Syd flapped his wings on the other shoulder.

"What's a matter with helping people? There ain't nothing wrong with that." Syd chirped back, ruffling his feathers.

"There is when it eats away at our funds and doesn't replenish itself or serve us any purpose. That dirty, thieving Growlithe seems to get them by just fine. We just have to make sure we don't get caught up in his sights again."

"Sheesh, any other insults you'd like to add to the pile, Rip?" Lupin clucked her tongue and gazed at him pointedly. When nothing else was forthcoming, she sighed. "I'm so disappointed in you. Why would you want me to turn my back on this?"

"Because we don't live here? Because…they aren't our problem? Because we aren't staying here for long, and their problems are long-term, and won't be magically fixed just because we helped them for a day or two? Take your pick?"

She scowled, but he saw that some of what he said seemed to sink in. Her pace had slowed down until she stopped, just half a block away from the Wooper Café, where they often frequented. He spotted the Growlithe before she did. When she finally saw him, the Growlithe lifted his gaze, as though finally catching on that he was being watched and he froze, blue eyes wide.

"Don't. Don't, don't—aaaand you're moving toward him. Wonderful."

"Be nice," she chided.

"He's a _thief_. He stole from you. Ergo, he's a bad dog."

"Hush. He was getting food for his trainer."

"Oh, so then that's all right. Stealing to feed your starving, homeless trainer is an acceptance to the rules. Okay, then, _so_ glad we sorted that out." Riptide remarked with a scoff.

"Oh-ho, look who's getting all high n' mighty, Mr. Big Shot Lab Pokémon. Don't judge a pokémon by their skin. Don't you know that by now?" Syd huffed, ruffling his tail feathers and fluffing his wings. The Growlithe was watching them carefully now, his body tense and alert, looking ready to bolt at the first chance.

"With that said, Lady…it might be best to leave the little guy alone. It's obvious he's done this too many times to learn and his trainer ain't doing much to stop him outside of a verbal scolding. If you can even call it that. The old man didn't look too hot, either. He might not have too long before he goes." The little bird paused, then added, "Plus, he singed my feathers! Granted, I can get that fixed at the center later, but still. It's _annoying_."

Lupin paused, her steps faltering until she stopped altogether. Her eyes darted between the tense puppy pokémon and the alleyway in which she knew his elderly master was. He continued to watch her and she stared right back. His fur was matted in some places, although it looked like he had attempted to clean it.

"Let's just get to the center. I guarantee there's been some kind of complaint around town about that homeless mongrel pup. He'll get caught, his master will be put in a home, and that'll be the end of that. Why he isn't already, I have no idea. Dumb luck, I suppose," Riptide said, nudging her cheek with his snout. That gave her a bit of a jolt and her ears pressed tighter against her head.

"I was a homeless mongrel until you and the professor brought me to the lab, for all you know. Maybe that's why no one can find any records of me. Ever thought of that?"

She was met with stunned silence as she continued walking. The Growlithe didn't give her a chance to get close to him. He trotted away, his tail tucked against his legs and his ears flat against his head. He was gone from sight when she came to the opening in the alleyway, but she could hear him whining. She continued on toward the center, the other two on her shoulders just as quiet.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Found

**Chapter Sixteen:  
Found**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how ****Pokémon ****look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them ****out when their time to show up comes. :3  
**

**Note: This was a bit of a hard chapter to write, so um. Yeah. I ain't got much else to say.  
**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.  
_**-Rumi**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"So, today, we will be putting our studies to the test, and demonstrate how to properly catch a pokémon! Today's assignment will require the capture the minimum of _two_ pokémon, as opposed to the minimum of _one_ for children and young teenagers, since this is an advanced class."

It was a balmy, warm day but the shade above from the trees helped shield most of the sun's rays from the gathered group below. It was earlier than usual that they had met up at the schoolhouse so that they could travel here in a timely fashion. The vans that had transported them sat now, quiet and waiting, at the end of a dirt road further behind them. The eighteen adults in the class were gathered in a school circle around Mr. Dervish as he motioned to the vast wilderness before them. The particular woods they had adjourned to was north of Violet City.

"We normally take our class to the east of the city, but due to the unrest at the Dark Cave, as well as the forest's semi-local spider populations, it should be relatively simple why we're avoiding those areas for now." He chuckled, wagging a finger in the air. The various pokémon partners of the students shuffled about near or on their trainers, glancing around their surroundings. They heard and smelled things their trainers could not, saw things that they were blind to, with the exception of one.

Lupin's ears careful shifted beneath her hat, picking on the whisperings, comings, and goings of the wild creatures around them. She could smell those that crossed paths with the downwind breezing past them, could see the faint, subtle shifts in the trees, the bushes that the others weren't paying particular attention to. She even noticed the tracks of several native pokémon along the grounds on occasion. Her own scent was still marked in the area, from her time hunting earlier last week. The blood from her kill hadn't quite faded, either.

Her mind drifted back to the lesson, as Mr. Dervish continued on his mundane lecture.

"What do you think we could get? A Stantler? Or maybe one of them big bears, what're they called? Ursaring?" Syd whispered, his feathers fluttering and fluffing every once in a while. He shivered with excitement.

"I doubt an Ursaring. Maybe a young Stantler if we're lucky. We're more likely to run into the more common pokémon. The usual rounds of bug, flying, and normal-types."

"Then I suppose one of the Legendaries is out of the line of possibilities too, then?" Syd goaded with a snicker. Riptide huffed indignantly and muttered under his breath, but managed to keep his nasty comments to himself. The Pidgey laughed a little more until Lupin shushed him. "What? You can hear him just fine, even above my yammering."

She shushed him again, even at the expense of a few stares thrown her way. Before long, a demonstration was shown after a Sentret scurried past them. Mr. Dervish fielded a few more questions that some of the others had before letting them turn to.

"Meet back here at sunset. If you get lost, please blow the whistles you were each given. I will send out my Pidgeotto to find and escort you back here. If I do not hear it, however, please set up a call line until it reaches here. Try to use your compasses as best you can, though, so we don't have to worry about you getting turned around. If your pokémon are too injured to continue in today's activity, blow your whistle so that my Pidgeotto can escort you all the same."

With that said, the others took off in their own directions, most in groups, others in pairs. Lupin watched as they all scurried off their way. She tucked the whistle into her pocket and pretended to consult her compass, disappearing into the underbrush, before pocketing that as well. Syd took to the air, occasionally flitting through tree branches, but staying within sight. Riptide settled more comfortably on Lupin's shoulders, clacking his jaws.

"Is there any particular pokémon you think we should put on the team? Or do you think we should just catch and go?"

"I'm not sure. North of Violet City is generally untouched wilderness between here and Mahogany Town's mountainous regions. There are the Rangers who often go through here, but other than that…it's new territory. Even the professor isn't sure if all the pokémon that live there have been catalogued and discovered. There could be new species living here."

"Ah, shows what you know, lab rat. Listen, there ain't no new species you haven't seen before living in here. It's the deeper wilds you should look to, but we ain't going that far. Sentret, Rattata, Pidgey, Stantler, Bellsprout, Nidoran, the whole platoon of bug-types…you ain't gonna find nothing unique about them. Speaking of, I think I see a Nidoran wandering up ahead, just a second, lemme check it out."

He took off in a flash, leaving the werewolf and Totodile behind. Lupin removed her hat. Riptide nipped at her fingers when he noticed.

"Hey!"

"What do you think you're doing? Put that back on before someone sees you."

"Excuse you, you rude blue lizard," she chided, withdrawing her fingers to suck at them. She tasted no blood, even when she thought she felt him break skin. She inspected her fingers, found no cuts or punctures.

_Werewolves have advanced healing_, she remembered her book saying. Just how advanced was it, though, she wondered.

Riptide smacked her cheek with a paw. "Put it back!"

"I'll hear someone if they come. Just let me have this one day with my ears out. I can move a lot quieter than those people can."

She watched him from the corner of her eye, and when he hissed, her ears gave a twitch. Lupin waited until the hiss petered out and Riptide grumbled, "Fine. Don't come running to me when you get caught, though."

She reached up and patted his head and he grumbled some more. Syd came sailing back in, fluttering in front of them.

"False alarm. They ran off. Nidoran are easily spooked sometimes, especially the female ones. The males are littler feistier, but not always. I think I saw some Caterpie and Weedle over in the trees, though. Want me to knock one down so you can nab it?"

"What do you think?"

"A bug?" Riptide shifted on her shoulder, sighing. "It's a good start. The requirements didn't necessarily have a limit on the kind of pokémon we're catching. We're not being rated, either, except with the minimum requirement. Plus, we have antidote in case of poisoning from the Weedle or any other number of poisonous insects out here."

"Then I'm going for it. Let's catch a bug!"

"Can I have one of the others as a snack? I'm starving!"

"Ewww. Gross, Syd."

"What? They got lots of protein! You should try one!"

"Syd, I will recall you if you make me toss my cookies. Just sayin'."

"Shutting up now."

"Good boy."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The arid and dusty air of the canyon filled his nose, and the searing heat was not a comfort either. There wasn't a cloud in the wide blue sky, and the browns, tans, grays, and sandy tones of the canyon below swam before him. Hidden niches and crevices were in abundance. It was deathly quiet, but his sensitive ears picked up on the occasional skitter and rustling of stones loosening in the canyon below from the local creatures that inhabited it. He could also hear, on occasion when the wind carried it, the sounds of voices and battles.

He scanned the skies again, finally picking up on a familiar shape riding the high sky breezes.

A dark form stirred beside him, distracting him momentarily. He sighed, reaching out toward the dark canine that plopped down and yawned.

"Ares," he greeted. The Houndoom beside him sighed, leaning into the hand reaching out to him.

"I doubt she'd be down there. Doesn't seem the place she'd go skulking about."

"No, but I also doubt she'd think inside the box, either. She'd probably like it if people thought that. She seems to have a knack for getting into trouble about as often as she is to getting right out of it."

The Houndoom snorted, but a canine grin decorated his black lips. "True. But then again, she isn't my mate, so I don't have as many tabs to keep on her as you do."

Alastor took Ares' lead in sighing, looking back up to the sky, seeing the avian form he'd spotted earlier making a nose dive right for them.

"Incoming," Ares muttered, getting back this feet. Alastor did the same, just as the giant bird came screeching in for a landing, wide wings opening suddenly to slow her descent. He lifted an arm, letting the red and gray feathered bird to land on his arm.

"Feng, good to see you again."

"Alastor," the bird dipped her head to him and fluttered her wings. "I saw some trainers marching through the canyon on foot, but none that looked like the woman you're looking for. And there's a facility further in. Looks like a training center of some sort. Lots of people were wearing these suits and gliding around the canyon further in, too. Sky battlers."

"Well, then that means we're not alone, like I suspected." He turned his gaze back to the canyon. "That also means we can find some more information down at that center."

The large bird tilted her head at him and chirped. "But…she isn't there."

"It doesn't mean she might not have passed through here. Training facilities usually have regular staff. If she passed through, they might know about it."

"Right, that would make sense." She fluttered her wings again and ruffled her tail feathers. "I can keep an eye from up high again, if you'd like."

He nodded and the Talonflame took off at the inclination, rising up higher and higher until she was a mere pinprick in the sky. Ares watched her go with another snort, then turned his snout downward to the bottom of the chasm below. "I see a footpath we can take. Shouldn't take too long to get through this place to that training center."

He hopped down from his flat perch, large paws practicing rather dainty movements to traverse over the loose stones and shifty earth he'd chosen to travel down with barely a disturbance. But Alastor could see just below them both the footpath he'd spied earlier. He followed the Houndoom, moving with just as much grace, adjusting accordingly to the place he'd put his feet. Ares scrambled across the surface of a craggy boulder, only a few steps ahead of Alastor before he landed on the footpath. Alastor heard the movement beneath him only a split second after he'd landed where the dark pokémon had been moments before. Then he felt the boulder shifting around beneath him.

"Ah, hell," he growled. Ares barked, his lips peeled back menacingly to show off his glinting white fangs. Alastor jumped out of reach just as the boulder-sans-pokémon swiped at him with its longer pair of arms. He was already well out of reach by the time the Graveler registered him completely. He landed on the footpath beside Ares, suddenly brimming with coiled energy.

"It's a Graveler!"

"Yeah, I can see that."

"Might wanna step back, then, it's about to get hotter in here!"

Ares threw back his head and breathed deep, the spark in his chest growing hot, his body doubly so as flames spit out between the crevices of his ribs and from his gaping maw. Embers flew freely and Alastor took a step back from the inflamed pokémon. Ares snarled and flames gushed from his jaws and hit the rock pokémon point blank, super heating its stony hide. The Graveler batted at the flames until the fiery attack subsided, confused at first. It shifted to and fro on its stumpy limbs as it crushed pebbles into dust beneath its heavy weight. It continued grumbling in annoyance as its rocky hide slowly cooled while the wind blew against it.

The two intruders were gone. There was no man, there was no fire dog. Only the canyon, the sky, and the hill it was currently on.

Finally the Graveler let off a bellow and burrowed back down into its spot, intent on finishing its nap.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

It was nearly dusk when they came across the Bellsprout within the final quarter mile before the checkpoint. It's bulbous, comical head was stock still, while its reedy little body of vines and roots and leaves weaved back and forth in the soft wind. It was a surprisingly graceful little plant creature. It hadn't seemed to notice her presence yet, and she would have preferred it that way. Syd shifted on her shoulder, mirroring her quiet excitement by dancing along her shoulder. Riptide hissed quietly against her cheek, his jaws gaping open.

"Syd, use gust," she finally whispered. The Pidgey leapt into the air and flapped his little wings, hard and fast, aiming the attack at the Bellsprout. It shrieked in protest and surprise, taken aback as its peaceful lull was shattered so abruptly.

Despite its earlier grace at bending and bobbing with the breeze, like a leaf caught in a wind current, it was now tumbling over itself over the grassy knoll it had settled into for the evening. The Bellsprout was upright in no time, however, and extended vines from its leafy upper limbs, willing them to grow like whips. It lashed out when it saw Syd hovering in the air, but the Pidgey dove, gracefully weaving between the vine whip attacks aimed for him. Lupin pushed forward, ducking under a branch to step into the clearing. The Bellsprout did a double take, momentarily stunned at her presence. Syd used the distraction to hit it with another well aimed gust and followed up with a hard tackle. The Bellsprout let off another indignant shriek and unleashed another barrage of vine whips from beneath its leaves.

"That's it, Syd, you got him on the ropes!"

"Nothin' to it! A little smack here, a hit there, then bada-bing, bada-boom, you bagged yourself a Bellsprout! Maybe they'll even let ya into the Sprout Tower after this! Those monks love these little weeds."

He deftly avoided another vine ripping through the air. The aerial display continued on, with the occasional pause for attack, but from the way he kept slowing down, Syd was finally peaking with exhaustion. She was reluctant to send out Riptide, however. He had type disadvantage, and he was just as tired, from the way he slumped on her shoulders, watching with half-lidded eyes. And the other pokémon were exhausted from their own battling endeavors with her two main teammates.

_Maybe I could step in. A small ember should be enough to corral it in, keep it from attacking._

She opened her mouth, ready to recall the Pidgey, when a paw on her cheek stopped her.

"You have that '_I'm going to do something stupid_' look on your face again. Don't. Whatever it is, don't. Just send me in."

"But you—"

"Have type disadvantage, yes. I'm sure you came to the same conclusion. But I have more energy than him. Send me out before he gets too hurt."

She turned back to the battle. The Bellsprout was tiring just as much as Syd was. He caught her eye after executing a series of loop-de-loops, and hovered high above the ground, his wings beating slower than usual.

"You callin' it, Lady?"

"I don't think you need to go out there, Rip. It might be ready to catch." Turning back to Syd, she nodded. That was enough for him. She produced one of the empty pokéballs in her coat pocket, clicking the button in its center to enlarge it. The Bellsprout was moving at a rickety, pained pace. It paused in its vine whip attacks to rest, although it looked severely wilted. Riptide eyed it carefully, his jaws clacking together a few times.

"Perhaps," he finally conceded. "Do it quickly before it gets its second wind, though. They really are like weeds. They come back stronger than the last time you uproot them if you let them."

She didn't need anything else to goad her into throwing the red and white orb in her hand. It smacked the Bellsprout right in its bulbous head, the ball splitting open upon contact. Energy and light sucked the creature inside, and the pokéball dropped onto the grassy ground. It wiggled and the white strip along its circumference glowed as it did. Lupin sighed, taking her eyes off it briefly to motion to Syd to come back down. He fluttered closer, thankful for the reprieve.

A vine snaked its way upwards and yanked the little bird out of the air seconds before he landed on Lupin's outreached hand. He let out a surprised squawk as he was pulled forcefully to the ground with a hard slam. Riptide let out a stunned growl. Lupin stiffened, momentarily taken aback. Her eyes flew to the pokéball first, believing the Bellsprout must have sprung loose, but it lay still and quiet, untouched. A pair of Bellsprout were slinking into view, ripe and ready for a fight. Another pair came crawling over a log, their reedy bodies swaying to and fro in a nonexistent breeze. Some were hanging from the trees, slithering down the trunks and branches. One went by the pokéball sitting in the knoll and rolled it with one of its reedy appendages. It remained as still and quiet as before, largely undisturbed.

The little horde turned their attention to the struggling Pidgey flopping on the ground, squeaking and chirping in pain and shock. Lupin's heart hammered away in her ribcage and slowly rose to her throat when she saw the awkward way Syd's wing was bent.

Indignation arose and she stalked forward with a snarl building in her throat. Fury bubbled in her stomach and rose up to drive itself into her limbs, white-hot adrenaline demanding to be released. She felt that fire building up again, like the night the Onix had attacked. She was tired of hordes of spiders, rock snakes, and now little vined weeds, attacking her. Riptide let out a snarl, momentarily diverting the Bellsprouts' attention to them. One of them bobbed back and forth, but before it could deliver an attack, a torrent of water blew it away. The Bellsprout shrieked as it flew. The others whipped their tendrils out at the werewolf and Totodile in response, forgetting about the Pidgey in their distraction.

A sheet of flames sprung up before the vines reached her and too late, they hit the fiery barrier. Screeches arose in a unified chorus behind the wall. In between the flickering tongues, she and Riptide spied the Bellsprout fleeing as fast as they could, trailing smoke in their wake. Riptide panted beside her, and she could feel his heart speeding up as it pounded against her shoulder. Nervousness and fear eked out from the reptile and in that instant, she reached out to will the flames to die. They fled as quickly as they had come, leaving the grass singed at their feet and the knoll completely and eerily empty.

There was no Syd, only the pokéball.

Icy dread began to form in the center of her gut, hard and tight like a knot. It kept twisting over itself, harder and harder until it made her feel sick.

"Syd?"

Her ears flicked at the noise of desperate struggle and cries, not far from her and Riptide. Her body was moving before her thoughts could catch up, instinct driving her towards the sounds. A hand dove to swipe up the prone pokéball as she went.

"Hang on, we're coming, Syd!"

"Stupid birdbrain, why wasn't he watching his back—"

"Not now, Rip, just—there he is!"

A Bellsprout was tugging along the injured Pidgey with it, its skinny appendages coiled around the little bird. His injured wing was pinned to his side, awkward angle and all, and no amount of snipping his sharp beak at his captor was doing enough damage to make it release him. His energy was waning, even with adrenaline pumping itself into his tiny body.

When it noticed her crashing along after them, the Bellsprout sprung into action, twisting its thin body around to lash out at her. Riptide leapt from her shoulder, gashing his jaws around the vines, yanking them down Lupin before they could hit her. The flower pokémon howled, trying to tug back its appendage without using its other one and relinquishing its prize. That was, until Riptide snapped off its limb with a vicious tug and twist of his jaws. Juice dripped from the torn vine limb and the Bellsprout screeched in agony, whipping the other limb holding Syd.

The vine released him and he squawked as his body was launched into the air. He tried to straighten himself out using his good wing, but smashed into a tree trunk before he could and crumpled to the forest ground. The Bellsprout lashed out at Riptide with its newly freed limb, but the Totodile unleashed a flood of water spewed from his open jaws. Just like his previous opponents, he blew away the Bellsprout and it went sailing away with final shriek, disappearing into the darkening forest.

As he attended to the flower pokémon, Lupin crashed through the underbrush to where Syd landed. Riptide followed after her when he was finished, ducking through fallen branches and underbrush. He found her kneeling on the ground, holding the little bird close to her, her ears drooping.

"Syd? Syd, please, wake up—potion, you just need some potion and a splint—"

He ventured closer, saw the awkward wing sticking up long before he saw the rest of Syd. When he did, his stomach dropped away and his heart sank.

Lupin had dropped her pack, fumbling with one hand to yank the straps open. Riptide pushed himself up onto his hind legs and laid a paw on her arm. She stopped long enough to look at him. He saw the tears in her eyes, saw that she already knew, but wasn't quite ready to believe it.

"Lupin…"

She turned back to her pack, struggling to pull the straps open. He dug a claw into her arm, stilling her again. She looked at him again, her throat tightening.

"No, no—he was just here, he was alive, he was just…knocked out, he's _fine_, he's…he's…"

"I'm sorry. He's gone, Lupin…stop it. You can't do anything for him."

He turned his head away from her and got a nose full of feather dust, Riptide hissed quietly. Something hit his snout and he reeled back in shock, lifting it to look at Lupin. He stopped short when he saw the tears on her face and realizing he couldn't say or do anything to make her stop. Not unless he could suddenly turn into a fabled god and revive one measly Pidgey from the dead.

So he said nothing. He let her cry. He let her sit there and cry, even after it had gone dark, even after the whistles started going off. He let her sit there until the tears were gone and longer still, even when he saw Mr. Dervish's Pidgeotto flying overhead, circling back and forth until it spotted them through a gap in the tree branches. When the large bird landed, only then did he move to disturb her. She jumped, startled at his paw on her arm again.

She gave him a rather hollow stare, not really seeing him for the first few moments. The Pidgeotto landed in the tree above them, cocking her head at Riptide.

"_Mademoiselle_ Ferus, I presume?" She looked to Riptide for confirmation, but before he could answer, Lupin did herself.

"Yeah. That's me. Just…give me a minute, would ya?"

The Pidgeotto puffed her feathers up in surprise, looking at Lupin. "You—I did not realize—you talk to pokémon? My, my, _quelle étrange fille que vous êtes._" She paused then hopped on a lower branch. "Be that as it may, _Mademoiselle_ Ferus, we are still waiting for you. You…oh."

She finally seemed to notice the prone bird in her lap and fell silent for a moment.

_"Mademoiselle_ Ferus…_Monsieur_ Dervish is still waiting for you. It's grown dark and the larger predators will be prowling about soon, if they are not already. We must get moving."

Lupin didn't respond at first. Riptide waited, turning back to look at her again. He patted her arm when she wasn't moving. Her eyes flicked to him.

"It's time to go," he said gently.

She was as still as stone and just as silent as one as she stared at him. An eternity could have passed between them, or it could have only been a few seconds for all he knew. The truth of what had truly happened hours before was only just beginning to sink in. Syd was not going to come back to the center tonight. He wouldn't snooze on the stand. He wouldn't occupy Lupin's other shoulder. He wouldn't flutter about like the feathery puffball he was. He wasn't alive anymore.

He dug his paw into her arm again. She finally nodded and stumbled to her feet and dragging her pack up with her free hand. The Pidgeotto waited, allowing them to get going before taking to the sky.

"Keep to the south, _Mademoiselle_ Ferus. You are less than a quarter of a mile away. I will tell _Monsieur_ Dervish to blow his whistle and turn on the van lights. _Suivez __la lumière_!"

They followed a faint path carved out through the woods, pushing through the occasional bush or low-hanging branch that came across their way. Riptide waddled beside her, exhaustion slowly worming its way into his limbs, but he didn't dare voice it. Now wasn't the time.

Before either of them knew it, the headlights from the rental van came shining through the night gloom and forest shadows. Everything else blurred in together from there on out. The other classmates had been driven back to Violet City. The van was empty and confining. The forest receded away and gave way to the city's outskirts as the drive continued. Mr. Dervish was not pleased, that much was evident, but neither the werewolf nor Totodile paid him much attention. There was some reprimands in there somewhere, but it went in one ear and out the other. When they was dropped off in front of the center, he held his tongue from further admonishments when he realized none of it was getting through to the woman. Instead, he fell into an awkward silence, standing on the curb beside the woman, still holding the little Pidgey in her hands.

They barely noticed when he left, offering his condolences as he did so and then they were alone again. Riptide waited, allowing the air to clear, the time to pass, before he stood on his hind legs and patted her leg. He waited until she looked down at him.

"We should bury him. It's only right. He doesn't deserve to be left here overnight. Birdbrain—Syd…he went out the way he wanted. He went out fighting. That's what he wanted if he ever…passed."

He tugged on her pant leg with a snip of his jaws, forcing her to step the way he moved. They had one last thing to do for the Pidgey and he wasn't going to let her fall into a rut and let it pass by.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Bonds

**Chapter Seventeen:****  
****Bonds**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_We'll have the days we break  
And we'll have the scars to prove it  
We'll have the bonds that we save  
But we'll have the heart not to lose it  
_**-"**_**Marchin' On**_**" by One Republic**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The cemetery was quiet and quaint, tucked away in a small corner of Violet City, subtly out of sight, but could be found easily enough when needed. The grounds were mostly flat, with only a few rolling slopes here and there. Several flowering trees were planted, here and there, each with their own resting bench beneath their arching, shady branches. Many of the grave markers had bouquets of flowers laid upon them, small signs of love and respect for lost companions, friends, life partners. Lupin sat at one of the benches, right beneath a blooming magnolia tree, its white budding flowers slowly peeking open to greet the springtime air. Riptide sat beside her, leaning slightly on the werewolf.

Nearly the entire weekend had passed and after burying Syd, neither of them had felt much motivation to leave the confines of the center. They both knew they eventually would have to, and this was as good a place to start as any. Yet, barely five minutes in, Lupin found she couldn't move any further from the bench she had eventually parked herself on and continued to let the minutes crawl right past her. Riptide was, for once, just as content to allow her to wallow. He felt the same jagged puncture inside as she was feeling at having lost a teammate. He didn't always get along with Syd, but he had slowly found the Pidgey charming enough to consider him a friend. All too quickly, however, it had been snatched away. Life was cruel. Death was no different. He knew and understood this, but it didn't make the truth any less painful.

Lupin stirred beside him, the first time in what seemed an eternity. He tilted his head to better view her, and he saw her staring back at him. She placed a hand along the scutes of his backside, massaging her fingers into the muscles so it could be felt. He sighed heavily, laying his head across her lap.

"We can't stay here all day," she finally said, moving her fingers upward to the back of his skull, gently digging them into the spots he liked. His eyes closed on reflex, both sets of eyelids sliding shut. All too soon, the firm massage against his head stopped altogether and he grudgingly peeped them back open. He relented with a nod, acknowledging her.

"I just…really don't want to get up yet."

He sat up a little more, crooning softly and glancing at the modest bouquet she'd gotten for Syd's grave. Her fingers kept wrapping and unwrapping around the ribbon that tied the stems together. If she kept it up, she'd unravel it completely and ruin the little bow. He lifted himself higher onto his back legs and reached out to pat her hand with his paw. She stilled her fidgeting movements and glanced back down at him.

"I can't speak for the birdbrain directly, but I don't think he'd want you to be this sad for this long. I don't mean for you to just up and forget him, either, just to forgo the pain, but this…this happens to trainers. Some people lose their pokémon. You should mourn your losses, but you should also learn from the lessons those losses gave you."

Lupin stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. Her mismatched eyes bore into his, unrelenting and guarded. When she reached forward to rub at his head again, he took it as a positive cue. She stroked along his scutes again, massaging into the harder places that reaped the best rewards. She finished all too soon once again, but this time, heralded him onto her shoulders. He hauled himself up with her help and once he was settled, he gave her shoulder a light pat.

"You really are getting bigger," she commented offhandedly as she stood and started walking. Her hand lifted his tail as demonstration, which had gotten just a smidgeon larger. Even the larger red plating along his backside and tail, he noted, were starting to get a little bigger.

"And I told you before: trained pokémon grow quicker than feral ones do," he replied, giving her cheek a light smack with his paw. "By the time I'm a Croconaw, I'm sure I'll stand up to your waist."

There it was. A smile. It was faint and brief, but it was there. It was something better than the blank slate she's been for the past few days. The werewolf reached up to scratch at the gator's head. He leaned into the touch, feeling relief at the slight step back into normalcy. The moment was broken, however, when she stopped walking. He turned his head to look and felt his stomach drop away unexpectedly.

The normalcy dropped away just as quickly.

Time seemed to pass at a sluggish pace. Seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes seemed to turn into hours. And yet, at the same time, it went by them too quickly. The flowers were laid upon the quaint little gravestone, a moment of silence was given, and then all of it was left behind in the same wake of silence they had arrived in. The Sprout Tower beyond rose above all other buildings in the city like a beacon. Before either of them knew it, the pagoda was before them, imposing and silent. The little Bellsprout statues that stood on either side of the doors didn't look as charming or goofy like they had the first time. Lupin strolled closer, pausing in the garden. Above them, a flock of Pidgey flew in perfect unison, weaving back and forth until they landed near the top of the pagoda. The two of them watched for a time.

"Do you think we should tell them?"

"Would it matter? He wasn't in their flock anymore. They knew the risks. Whether he was still with them, or with us, they knew one day he'd die. Maybe not quite this soon, but…eventually. It happens to all living things. It's sad, but it's the truth. It'd be stupid to think otherwise. Nothing lasts forever."

She nodded, although he suspected it was more an automatic reaction than actual agreement. He gave her cheek a nudge with his snout.

"We should start heading back. We still have some of that paperwork to finish."

"What's with the 'we' stuff? I do all the writing and reading."

"And yet, I have the insight you don't. Therefore, team effort." He paused, letting out a hiss of air. "And we haven't trained any of the pokémon you've caught. We need at least one of them trained up enough to stand up to this battle test."

"I know…I know." She sighed, turning on her heel to make her way back the way she'd come. "I know. I just…just…"

He nudged her with his snout. "And I know," he replied, reading into her aggravation. "We have only a few hours left of daylight. Perhaps we could go to that park we passed on the way here, and train one of them."

"I guess," she finally consented, nodding. She dug into her coat pockets, groping for the pokéballs she had there, only to find…nothing. She swiped into her other pockets, stopping in her tracks. She groaned.

"Don't tell me: you conveniently left them back at the room, didn't you? After three days of having them in your coat pocket, you took them out _today_, of all days."

She blew a raspberry, loud and unashamed, before nodding. "Yep."

"…this is turning out to be a _wonderful_ day."

"Gee, thanks, Sarcasm Gator. I really needed that."

"I aim to please. Now, let's hurry back to the center. Might as well take this time to choose which one you're going to use."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Time was of no factor to him. It passed both in a blur and at a lethargic, painstaking pace. He barely remembered anything in the past several days, except for the sadness. It ate away at his gut, his heart, everything. He hadn't moved from his spot behind the Wooper Café. He was determined to keep scavengers like Rattata and Raticate away. He kept telling himself it was to make sure they didn't kill and eat his master, but he already knew it was just a half-hearted lie. He just didn't want to admit it to himself yet.

The thought of the elderly man hurt. He was gone. One minute, he had been there, talking to Bullet, and then the next…gone. He'd petered out, trailed off, and what little life had been left in his eyes died. The Growlithe tried to wake him up, but to no avail. There was no fanfare. There was no sudden stop of the world at his master's passing. Everyone else in Violet City just kept on going about their business. The days passed. His hunger grew, but it didn't motivate him enough to get up and find something to eat. So he laid there in the alleyway beside his master.

It wasn't until the scuffle of footsteps echoing closer that had gotten him out of his sleepy stupor. He saw boots first. He bolted upright, trying to shove the tiredness aside in a hurry as he sluggishly pieced together who was intruding. He growled halfheartedly, only to be met by soft coos and cajoling from the two humans heading toward him, murmuring words of reassurance and ease. They tried making themselves small and slow—slower than usual, that is—but he remained defensive and growled at them, unrelenting. Too close, they were _too_ close. He barked at them to go away, but they weren't scared. One of them had a noose for catching stray pokémon and animals alike in Violet City. The other was a police officer. He had another Growlithe with him, but this one was bigger, cleaner, stronger. Bullet almost shrunk back at the sight of the other pokémon. But he couldn't. He had a job to do. He wouldn't let his fear get in the way.

The Growlithe stepped forward, looking both intimidating and placating all at once. The two humans kept their distance, allowing their Growlithe to step forward closer.

"Hey there, little guy. Easy there, I'm not here to hurt ya, I promise."

Bullet growled back, showing his teeth. The bigger puppy pokémon was unperturbed by the display.

"Look, little guy…you can't stay here. The humans of this city are getting tired of you stealing from them. The last few complaints were the last straw. We're here to bring you in."

"I'm not a feral, I have a trainer!"

"Your trainer's dead," the other stated matter-of-factly. He nodded toward the pitiful shelter that had been home to Bullet and his master for as long as he could remember. Bullet gnashed his teeth, snarling when the other Growlithe made to come closer. He paused, then sat back down again, staring down at him like a disappointed parent. "I'm sorry. But you can't stay on the streets. You're going to eventually hurt someone or worse, they're going to end up hurting you. We have a nice program back near our district. We'll clean you up, get you a few good hot meals, and maybe even a nice trainer will pick you up. You look like you could use that."

Bullet almost fell for it. Almost. It sounded nice. It was _tempting_. The Growlithe had distracted him long enough for the two humans to sneak closer. Before he realized what was happening, the noose was snuggly wrapped around his neck. He snarled, feeling a weight on his back push him into the ground. His legs collapsed beneath him and air gushed out of his lungs from the force. He gazed upward at the other Growlithe, who stared impassively at him. Briefly, it broke, a trickle of pity lining his eyes before it was gone again when he gained praise from his trainer.

"Please, don't let them take me away—my master, he's right there, please—!"

The other Growlithe's eyes softened again with regret.

"Your master died. It smells like he's been dead for a few days. Can't you smell it?"

He could. He just didn't want to admit. It hurt too much.

A hand grappled for his muzzle. He snapped his teeth at the prodding fingers. He tasted blood and heard a curse above him. Bullet snarled and breathed deep, felt the fire in his belly flare up inside. The other Growlithe's eyes widened and he barked out a warning to his humans, but it was too late. Fire gushed from Bullet's mouth, spraying the alleyway and engulfing the other Growlithe. The weight on top of him fled in a hurry. He used the distraction to barrel through. He knocked over the bigger Growlithe and sped away. He heard them curse and shout and scream after him, but he was fast and before he knew it, he'd lost them. The noose around his neck clattered along beside him, causing such a ruckus, he almost thought it was chasing him at first. It spurred him to dump more energy into his pace, to pick up speed, to outrun the noisy pursuer. It beat against his flank, bruising them to the point of painful, but he didn't dare slow down, not for a long time.

His drive, however, quickly waned and he found his adrenaline rush depleted faster than he could remember. He was cold. He was hungry. The noose around his neck hurt, the stick it was attached to clattering along beside him. His leg was throbbing from where the stick had struck him repeatedly during his run. He barely had any fire left in him. He had used it all up to scare off the men and that traitorous Growlithe of theirs who had tried to take him away from his master. But he had no master, a tiny voice reminded him. He was with no home, no master, nothing. He was just another homeless stray.

_I might as well be a feral,_ he thought morosely. There were packs of his kind roaming the forests beyond Violet City, weren't there? Maybe he could find one and join them. There was nothing left in this city for him. He was free, technically. The pokéball his master had was no longer valid. Or at least, he thought it wasn't. He wasn't sure how it all worked. Surely those two humans would destroy it now. Or maybe they'd steal it and try to take him away that way. The thought made him whine. He shouldn't have left it there, if that were the case.

Bullet whined again, stopping in his tracks to find himself in a vaguely familiar street. He sniffed the air and then looked up to the sky, searching for that tall pagoda. When in doubt, the Sprout Tower was a good landmark to reference off of. He was far from the Wooper Café, that was for sure, but they could be tracking him. If he were that other Growlithe, he'd just follow the scent marks of whoever it was he was tracking. It was common sense to follow your nose, after all.

Despite his exhaustion, he pushed himself into a fast trot, unsure of where to go. The forest, perhaps? Or back to where his master was still lying?

He came to a sudden halt, both at the despair and indecision romping about through his head, and from the aroma that assaulted his nose. It was that same, musky canine scent wrapped in a human-likeness, but not quite. It was girl and canine and reptile and feather dust mingling all at once, familiar and distant. It nagged at him, nibbling away at his conscious. Where had he taken a whiff of this scent before? It was recent, but there were plenty of scents like it in the city. So many trainers, and just as many pokémon. He pushed and prodded at the mystery scent mark, sniffing actively in the air, at the ground, until it clicked.

The woman with the Totodile and Pidgey.

His ears splayed against his head. Of all the scents he had to pick up on…

But then he perked. She wasn't _so_ bad. She fed him and his master. Even if she had chased him first and sicced her pokémon on him, she had stopped when she realized _why_ he stole her pastry. He whimpered. She wouldn't help him again, would she? She was kind of nice. She was the first person in a long while to actually look twice his way. The wind picked up, teasing him with all types of scents, but he followed after the woman's scent, tugged along by it, the maybes and what ifs clinging to his fur like water. Maybe she could talk to the humans. Maybe she could help his master.

Maybe, maybe, maybe.

What if, what if, what if.

Every idea he had was nonsensical, wild, and unrealistic in some cases. But he clung to them anyway, because they distracted him from the truth. He caught wind of the two humans and that big Growlithe long before he saw them and diverted his path. He knew where he was headed already, he didn't need to follow the woman's scent any longer. She was staying at the center. Maybe he could find her there.

The trek back across the city left his paws singing with pain, his muscles aching, and his body feeling like lead weights. He passed by trainers on the street, no longer concerned with hiding from sight. He was too tired to duck and dodge. The sun was beginning to hide behind the taller buildings, leaving him to wander in the cool shade. It made him shiver, reminding him that his fire was nearly depleted. He whined, his head hanging low. It would take forever to heal up on his own, to let his fire replenish itself once more. Maybe he could get that girl to take this damnable thing off from around his neck, too.

The glow from streetlights began to illuminate the streets, mixed with the soft colours of the sky. It almost looked good enough to eat, and that thought made his stomach rumble and twist and he felt as though a pack of Rattata were gnawing away at him from the inside out.

The familiar sight and scent of Violet City's Pokémon Center came looming into sight when he made a turn around the final block. It was a beacon of hope to him, the light at the end of a long, winding tunnel and he was nearing a tiring, painful journey. He limped forward, dragging the noose along with him, the pole bumping against him to a rhythm: _hurry, hurry, hurry. Rush, rush, rush. _

He paused just outside the beam of lights casting across the street and sidewalk, however, hovering just inside the shadows. What if she wasn't there? What if she'd left the city?

He hadn't thought of that. The one person he hoped to find, and she might not be here. She could have moved on. She was just another traveling trainer, after all. They were nomads; they never stayed in one place for very long. He sniffed at the ground.

But…maybe he was jumping to conclusions. Her scent mark was still fresh. It smelled…sad. But fresh. He whined, ears slowly pressing to the top of his head as he slunk forward, trying to pick up on her trail, the freshest one. His ears flicked at the noise of a human crowing and he looked up to see a small child pointing excitedly at him as he and a bigger one, female and perhaps his mother, exited the center. One of those tubby water-types—a Marill, if he remembered correctly—held in his skinny arms.

"Mom, look, look! It's one of those police Growlithes!"

The woman crinkled her nose, patting the boy on the back. "Right, honey, that's right. Although, I don't think this one works in the department. It looks…dirty."

He snorted and barked back, "You try living on the streets and staying clean!"

The woman flinched, but the boy looked as intrigued. The Marill looked annoyed, glaring at him with its beady black eyes. The woman eyed the pole still dangling around Bullet's neck, her hand creeping up on her boy's shoulder and steering him away.

"Come on, we got Puff all healed up. Let's go home. _Now_."

"But mom, I wanna pet him—"

"You're not petting that filthy pokémon. Now let's go."

He growled and the Marill growled right back, going so far as to hop on the boy's shoulder to peer at the Growlithe.

"Oi! Fluffy! Stop pickin' on people!"

The new voice startled him and he jumped, glancing over his shoulder. All the tension in his body went slack. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. He didn't know whether to be scared or relieved. The woman was there. Her Totodile was curled around her shoulders like a scaly blue-and-red scarf. The Pidgey was missing, but at her feet was a Rattata. It watched him curiously, head cocked to the side, its small pink nose wiggling in the air as it sniffed.

The Totodile bristled, stirring on the woman's shoulder. She was dressed almost the same as before: long coat, dark clothes, and a hat over her head. She regarded him with those mismatched eyes, but it wasn't with the childish naiveté that boy had shown, or the suspicion and distaste his mother had that most others showed him. He knew he wasn't a very good pokémon sometimes. But he wasn't _all_ bad. Some people saw it, like this woman.

She looked him over, from the noose and its pole, to his dirtied and haggard appearance, and last his face. He whined at her, ready to fall over and lay right there. He was too tired to move.

"So, you finally got caught. Serves you right. Shame there isn't someone attached to that pole of yours." The Totodile hissed. The woman glanced at the blue gator from the corner of her eye and gave him a mild scowl, flicking him upside the head.

"Be nice." She chided. _That_ got Bullet's attention. She turned back to him and shuffled forward with a sigh, reaching for the pole. He stumbled away, but she caught it and made a 'calm down' motion with her hand. "Easy, there. I'm not gonna drag you down to the pound."

She reached slowly, gently loosening the noose from his neck until it slid free and it clattered to the ground, useless. He stared at it for a moment, then back at the woman.

"Thank you," he breathed, enjoying the freedom his neck had now that it was gone. "It was really starting to hurt."

"Shame it didn't hurt some more, thief," the Totodile snorted. Another light flick to the head shut him up. The woman smiled at him, letting him sniff her hand. He licked it in gratitude.

"You're welcome," she replied back. He stopped mid-lick and stared at her with wide eyes. The Rattata ventured closer, sniffing his fur before reeling back and hiding behind the woman.

"I-I—y-you can understand me?!"

She tilted her head a little at him. "Sure. From what I've seen, not many people can understand pokémon. But apparently, I'm one of those few who can."

He continued to stare with that slack-jawed expression. His shock allowed her a few quiet moments to study him more thoroughly and she took advantage of it to pat him on the head.

"Where's your master? The old man," she asked. Her smile dropped, however, when he hung his head and didn't answer. He didn't need to. The silence dragged on and she seemed to catch on. Her fingers scrubbed through his tangled fur. He winced when they caught on a particularly nasty knot. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I…"

Her hand stopped moving, and pulled away briefly. He hadn't realized he'd closed his eyes and leaned into the touch until he opened them and pulled back himself, whining for more. An arm scooped up around his middle, picking him up. He yowled in surprise, but the grip didn't falter. The Rattata that had largely remained quiet and out of sight, was trotting ahead on quick little paws, with the woman carrying him into the center.

"Stop struggling. You're getting a bath—shut it, Riptide, no, we're helping him this time—and you're also getting a good healing up too. You look terrible."

"Wait—hey, wait a minute, you can't do—stop it, you can't _do_ this!" He struggled more. This wasn't he had in mind when he thought of help from this woman. And now, he was regretting thinking about it in the first place. She veered across the front lobby toward a small, tucked away corner where a squashed comfy seat and small side table sat. Carefully, she set him on the table, and she plopped into the chair. The Totodile atop her shoulders—Riptide, she had called him—hissed and clung to her as she settled. The Rattata scrambled up into her lap. She patted his head, murmuring words of encouragement before returning him to his pokéball.

Bullet stared, waiting tensely.

"Your trainer's gone…Bullet, was it? That's what he called you, yeah?"

He wavered, uncertain, then nodded to her.

"I'm sorry, Bullet. But…you're about as well off as a wild pokémon. And from the looks of things, someone already tried to take you in with that noose."

"They tried, but I got away…" he murmured in agreement, casting his gaze to his front paws. Her hand was atop his head again, gently rubbing at his ears.

"If I let you go, you're going to keep having people on your tail. If that's what you want, I'll walk you out the front door and leave you alone. But…I have a proposition."

He looked up at her, and her hand fell back down to her lap. Riptide let out a guttural noise of displeasure.

"Oh, please don't. Not this one. Anyone but this one."

She ignored the Totodile and continued addressing him.

"If you'd like, you can come with me and Riptide here. You'd be safe from anyone trying to take you away again, and…you'd get a new start."

He stared at her, somewhat startled by it. It was more than he had imagined. It felt like more than he deserved. She waited, allowing the offer to hang in the air.

"You don't have to say yes tonight, but…I think a warm place to sleep and a clean coat of fur would be a welcome start, yes?" She vaguely motioned to the center and he glanced over his shoulder, seeing the sparse assortment of trainers and their pokémon that were loitering the lobby. Some were sitting at chairs and tables not unlike the one the woman sat in. His gaze slid back to the waiting woman and her narrow-eyed Totodile.

He had few choices to consider. Stay in the city and risk being taken in by those people from earlier and more like them; return to the wilds to try and find one of his own kind to live with; or perhaps go with this woman to places new and unknown. He was sure there were others, but at the moment, none of them were as appealing as the top three rolling around in his head. He looked back up at her, his ears perking up slightly and he scooted closer to the edge of the table.

"I'll go with you, I…I don't have…anywhere else to go. My master, he…"

"He was very old. And he…didn't seem quite there when I saw him last."

"He forgot stuff all the time…it's how we lost our home. It…it started small at first, but it…"

"Grew into more. That sounds like Alzheimer's. It happens to elderly people."

"Oh…I-I didn't…couldn't he have gone to the human healing center? To get cured? I should have done that, right, taken him there?"

"It's…not something that can be cured. Not permanently, anyway. But he looked like he'd lived a long life. I'm sorry the last small part of it was in the streets."

Bullet pressed himself to the table, hiding his snout under his paws. He didn't want to think about it anymore. It hurt too much to think that he'd just ran away. He should have stood his ground and stayed with his master, but then what? Shame was rising up inside him, making his stomach turn sour.

He'd have been back to this three-way decision. His ears were being rubbed again. He peeked up at the woman. She was still smiling at him. Riptide, not so much. But the Growlithe didn't care much for that grim gator. He kept his gaze on the woman.

"If you're sure about sticking around, then…welcome to the team, Bullet. Glad to have you here."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Lucky

**Chapter Eighteen:****  
****Luck**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note_****: Thank you so much for those who reviewed. I greatly appreciate it! I love hearing from those who read this story. :) **

**Additionally, I have changed the way Mr. Dervish speaks in this story versus how he spoke in the games, not because I can't do comical. I liked how he spoke, it was funny. But I believe it would have been difficult to follow through with the mixed up way his words were strung along and I don't want much confusion going on for my readers. I can imagine, however, the more excited he gets, the more his English tends to get jumbled up, making him harder to understand.**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_Here's the thing about luck...you don't know if it's good or bad until you have some perspective._  
―**Alice Hoffman****, "**_**Local Girls"**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Bullet, use flame wheel!"

Fire gushed forward, cycling over and engulfing the Growlithe. He spurred forward, hurtling himself toward his opponent. He smashed into the Caterpie, sending it flying with a terrified squeal into the air. A beam of red light shot toward the airborne bug-type, encased it and suddenly, it was gone, recalled into its pokéball.

Lupin slowed her breathing, her eyes locked on her opponent from across the battlefield. He was about her age, maybe slightly older. He grimaced as he tucked away his last pokéball and trudged off to the sidelines. She relaxed. Bullet pivoted on his paws, tail wagging excitedly. His ears perked up high, although one was starting to flop over slightly. His blue eyes shined brightly.

"Did I do good, did I, did I?"

She grinned at him, dropping to a knee, motioning him to come forward. He did so with great gusto, nearly bowling her over as he pounced, licking her face. She chuckled.

"You did great! That was really good, Bullet. You are _definitely_ getting a treat for your hard work today."

Riptide grumbled beside her, although he didn't too unpleased with the results. She glanced briefly at Mr. Dervish, waiting expectantly. He was scribbling away on a clipboard. Finally he looked up to address her and she stood. Bullet rushed to sit beside her, his tail still wagging a little.

"Very good with matching type advantage, _Mademoiselle_ Ferus. Although, your strategy is something of…eh, what's the word…" He paused, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. "It could use work. You tend to rely on brute strength rather than utilizing advantages a battlefield could potentially provide. Granted, we don't have a pond or water-based field we could use for your Totodile, but I digress. Sharpen up that much of your skills, and you'll make an even better battler." He smiled. "But, in spite of that…you did win the mock tournament. Congratulations!"

She felt a hesitant smile pulling at her lips as she nodded to him, before glancing at Riptide. He was wearing his signature crooked croc smile, but the glint in his eyes told her he was rather proud at the moment. Bullet gave a happy yelp beside her, wiggling on the spot. She stooped over to scoop up Riptide and he clambered to his usual spot around her shoulders. Bullet leaned on her leg as she straightened before she clicked her tongue, motioning him to follow her. He trotted alongside her, a healthy bounce to his step.

Mr. Dervish strolled over to meet her halfway, pulling her graded paperwork from the clipboard and handing it to her. There were a few points shaved off here and there, but overall, her grade was rather good. She thanked Mr. Dervish and he clapped her shoulder. "Go, join the others. I have some word to pass and then I will release you for the day. Come, come! _Dépêchez-vous __maintenant_!"

"What's it say?" Riptide murmured in her ear as she moved toward the rest of the class. He was squinting at the page, head cocked to the side.

"We got a passing grade."

"And those red marks took off points, yes?"

"Mm-hmm."

The class gathered and waited as Mr. Dervish finished giving her last opponent his test sheet. Then he turned to face the rest of them, beaming. "_Très bien,__vous avez tous__fait__si bien_! Improvement is not just for the young! You have all done your best in this class, and as a result, I can say with great pleasure, you've all passed!" He paused for effect, then motioned back to the building. "We'll hold a small graduation ceremony here tomorrow at noon. Practice will start at ten, we'll do some dry runs, and then afterwards, you can go to the ID office down at the Pokémon Center."

With that said, they were dismissed. Everyone either scattered to the winds or stayed behind for further discussions and questions for Mr. Dervish. Lupin was on her way to leave with most of the others, but stopped when she noticed an onlooker approaching Mr. Dervish. He was a slim looking young man, his hair dark but the sun played on it, giving it an almost bluish sheen to it. He sported a serious expression, and had an air of importance about him, carrying himself with purpose and intent. Mr. Dervish noticed him at the last moment and laughed heartily, clapping the young man on the shoulder when he was an arm's length away.

Lupin paused to watch, as did several others.

"Ah, _Monsieur_ Falkner, what a pleasant surprise! _Ce est__toujours un plaisir__de vous avoir ici_!"

The young man offered a faint smile. One of the women close by Lupin gasped suddenly. Riptide shifted on her shoulder to stare at the woman.

"That's Falkner, the Violet City Gym Leader!" A few others jumped in, murmuring among themselves. Their interest piqued, some of them began moving back toward Mr. Dervish and the new arrival, muted excitement buzzing in the air.

"Go over there, don't just stand here gawking," Riptide chided with a clack of his jaws. Bullet gave an eager whine, his tail thumping on the ground.

"Why? We're not challenging the gym."

If he was able to pinch the bridge of his snout, he would have done so then and there. Instead, the Totodile gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Gym leaders have an obligation to offer instructional advice to new trainers." He paused, tilting his head enough so they were eye-to-eye. "Besides, what else do you plan on doing, besides adventuring into the world to find out who you are? You're certainly not planning on becoming a breeder or daycare provider of some sort. And neither are you an aspiring ace trainer or bug-catcher, and I certainly don't see you hopping on the ship to hail the call of the sea and become a sailor."

He stared at her pointedly, and she blanched, realizing he was right. And yet, she couldn't find it in her to move forward. Riptide sighed again, although this time with more patience behind it.

"It wouldn't hurt to get some advice on where you might find the best information for your…situation. Perhaps he knew you, or someone from your pictures or that book of yours."

She considered his words, indecision rippling through her for several moments. He had a point, she couldn't deny that. She made an aggravated noise at the back of her throat.

"I hate it when you're actually right," she said as she began moving toward the small crowd. This elicited Riptide to rattle-laugh away in her ear.

"But you're glad I am," he surmised. She didn't deign him with an answer, which made him laugh again. Bullet trotted along her, his claws clicking on the concrete. So far, he seemed to be adjusting well between herself and Riptide, although she caught him brooding on occasion when he thought no one was looking. She knew it'd be a while before his spirits were truly lifted. She'd have to work on that.

Lupin circled around the group until she found a free space close to Mr. Dervish and Falkner, who was fielding questions already to the curious bystanders around him. Most were trivial inquiries—most were about his gym, advice on flying-type pokémon, and strategies he employs in battles versus what Mr. Dervish had taught, and so on. Before long, the others started trickling away, satiated with the encounter for the time being. Mr. Dervish began speaking with Falkner when the other men and women began turning away, seemingly intent on pressing his own agenda and conversation with the young man. He stopped mid-sentence, however, when he noticed Lupin still lingering nearby, watching the both of them keenly. Riptide dug his claws into her shoulder, a silent prompt to get on with it. Bullet wiggled beside her with pent up energy still begging to find an outlet to be released.

"_Mademoiselle_ Ferus?"

"I had a few questions for Falkner, if you don't mind."

"Oh, but of course not! What was it you needed?"

Lupin hesitated, then turned her gaze to the taller young man. He was watching her with a fierce gaze, like a predator waiting for her to make the first move.

She was unimpressed.

"Actually, it's a bit…private, if you don't mind, Mr. Dervish."

The portly man chuckled, nodding several times. "Of course, of course, that is no problem. Falkner, when you are finished, come by my office, we have much to catch up on! _Allons-y_!"

With that said, Mr. Dervish left with a flourish and bounce in his step, a grace in his movements despite his size. Falkner watched the man leave, before turning his dark eyes onto Lupin again. He didn't smile at her.

"If you're looking for a date, I've already turned down several proposals this week alone. I'm not interested."

"Gee, you're really full of yourself, aren't you? Do you believe every woman who talks to you wants to get in your pants?" She snapped off, not missing a beat. He looked taken aback for a brief second. Then his lips twitched slightly.

"I assume," he agreed. "A gym leader isn't necessarily a glamorous position, but it's government funded and the pay itself isn't half-bad. Lots of diggers trying to get attached to those benefits."

He glanced upward, squinting as he peered at the sky. Then he returned his attention to Lupin.

"So, if you're not asking for a date, is it about my gym hours? They're posted at the front door."

"No, that's not it either." She paused, easing her wallet from her back pocket and fished out the photos in them. "I know this is farfetched, but you might have something I can work with, even if it's vague or a long shot."

She hesitated, stopping herself short. Riptide squeezed his claws into her shoulder again, as though in reassurance. Bullet pressed against her leg.

"I…had an accident a couple months back and I was diagnosed with amnesia. These pictures were in my wallet, and I don't know who they are, I didn't exactly label them on the back." She presented the small stack to the taller man. "And since you're a gym leader, you probably get a lot of traffic through your gym. Maybe you've seen some of these people, or…or met them at some point."

It was thin hope, but it was hope to hold onto.

Falkner took the pictures and scanned them quickly, his face a blank, unreadable slate. Then he handed them back, shaking his head.

"No, sorry. I haven't seen any of these people. And I'm sorry to say, but I probably wouldn't remember that well even if they had. I get many challengers and the faces and pokémon teams tend to blur together after a while."

And there went her bubble of hope. She sighed, taking them all back and putting them back where they belonged.

"Thought I'd try anyway. Sorry to waste your time."

She turned to leave, feeling a little dejected. She stopped when Falkner called back to her, and she glanced at him.

"You should stop by the gym before you leave Violet City," he said casually, looking a mite more relaxed than moments before. "You have a rather good strategy for battling, never mind what Dervish says. It'd be interesting to place a match against you."

"I'm not interested in gym battles," she replied.

"Oh? And what are you interested in? Breeding? Construction? Daycare?" He paused. "You're not planning on just traveling about, asking people 'do you know me', are you? Adventurous, to be sure, but a bit pointless and lacking."

She shifted from foot to the other, uncomfortable with his prodding. "I'm interested in getting my head back together and my memory back."

He considered her for a moment, then smiled. "I'll tell you what. I'll extend my resources and see if I can't find something about those people you're looking for. Maybe someone from the other gyms can give you something. But, you need to do something for me."

"This sounds like the lead up to a sex thing now," she wrinkled her nose in distaste. He scowled at her.

"If you defeat all the sages and their Elder at the Sprout Tower, then you can come see me."

"And if I don't?"

He shrugged. "Then I suppose the information I might unearth isn't that important to you."

"Are you…_blackmailing_ me?" She bristled at the thought. He shrugged again, turning on his heel slightly to face the Pokémon Academy.

"No, nothing of the sort. I prefer the term 'motivation'." Falkner waved over his shoulder as he walked away. "See you in a few days!"

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"He's trying to bait you, you know."

"I gathered as much, thank you for the insight."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know he was going to be that much of an arrogant ass." Riptide remarked dismally, slumping on her shoulder. "I thought gym leaders were supposed to _help_ trainers, not coerce them into battling…"

"Wait, why was he goading you?" Bullet queried as he padded alongside Lupin. They entered the Wooper Café and got in line behind a man with an Oddish dancing around his feet. The Growlithe paused to watch, his head moving back and forth in time with the Oddish. When it came closer, he lifted his rump in the air, tail wagging furiously. They began to dance and weave around together playfully. Riptide watched for a moment, then returned his attention to Lupin.

"Short attention span," he muttered. Lupin sighed.

"He's goading me because he wants more publicity, I'm guessing. The best trainer out of the graduating class against the gym leader would make for an interesting battle in his head. I think he also sees it as an opportunity to showcase how much better he is."

"Maybe, but perhaps not," he said neutrally, considering. "I doubt he's got _that_ much of an ego. But it looks like he's somewhat concerned with your cause, if my impression is anything good to go by."

"He didn't take any of the pictures for reference, though. And I didn't get to tell him any names to ask around for. How is _that_ supposed to be helpful?"

He conceded her point. It did seem a little odd. They got to the front counter and Lupin bought the usual round of snacks for herself and her two pokémon, as well as a large coffee with extra shots of espresso in it. Minutes later, they were trotting back out and toward the center.

"Do you think we should go back to his gym and have him take copies of the photos? If he's supposedly going to help us, the least he could do is take the reference with him to show his 'contacts'."

"His contacts might be other gym leaders. There's only eight of them here in Johto, but perhaps the network is more extensive…" Riptide murmured quietly, pausing to think. "Perhaps you could have shown your pictures to the professor as well."

"He'd forget about them. You know that better than me. He'd forget for weeks, months. His head's full of pokémon data, not playing detective and looking for people."

Again, he had to concede to her point, as much as he didn't want to. She was right. The professor didn't have time to play detective and rouse up contacts to drop what they were doing and look for a few faces out of, what? Millions? Billions? It could be done, he had no doubt, but how long would it take?

He was having some doubts now about her endeavor to find them herself. The world suddenly seemed so large and daunting. For all they knew, these people could be elsewhere, like Kanto or Hoenn, maybe even as far as Orre, Sinnoh, Kalos, Fiore or any other region he may not have even heard of. Not to mention, there were so many unexplored, untamed regions. There were miles upon miles of untainted wilderness, pure and wild, where little to no humans have ever stepped foot into. Her journey seemed like a fool's errand now, but he couldn't find it in him to voice it aloud. He didn't have the strength to shoot down her expedition right then and there. It seemed too cruel a thing to do.

_But how long can she keep this up? We're only at the beginning and it already seems hopeless…_

"Hey, what's eating you?" Bullet called from the ground, looking up at him with those curious, naïve blue eyes. He looked better than he had at the beginning of the week. His coat was cleaned and shiny, although there were some patches here and there suggesting where he had hot spots. Treating them was a cinch, however, after Nurse Joy had diagnosed what they were.

"I'm thinking," he finally deigned to answer the Growlithe. He cocked his head, one ear flopping over as he did.

"About?"

They turned the block, heading toward the Pokémon Center. "About our next move."

"Isn't that her job?"

"We can help, you know. She might form a plan and then conveniently forget it at a pivotal moment. Alas, the fate of our poor trainer and her amnesiac condition."

"Har, har. Thank you _so_ much, you useless reptile. I always need a daily reminder of how broken my head is." Lupin growled out as they passed the threshold into the center. It was packed with more trainers and pokémon than she normally saw. Some she recognized as the more common pokémon—Pidgey, Spearow, Rattata, Sentret, and the like—although she did notice a Nidoking hanging around in the back, shooting the occasional glare at a four-armed, muscle-bound pokémon that stood at least a good foot-and-a-half taller than her. She whipped out her Pokédex, and highlighted a few that she hadn't seen before and the data came streaming through, listing them in.

Bullet whined, taken aback. She paused in her scanning and glanced at him. A look of horror was painted across his face and she hesitated, quietly chastising herself. She finally put away the device and crouched, patting his head. "Hey…easy there, boy. It's okay. Don't worry. I'm sorry. We didn't mean anything by it. Don't you worry, I'm not going to forget anything about you or Riptide or anything we've done together. _Especially_ you two. Okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise. Amnesia isn't like Alzheimer's. Amnesia can usually be overcome. And…I'm hoping that'll happen soon. I dunno when, but maybe if I find the people I need to, they can help."

He looked somewhat appeased and he licked her hand. She scooped him up and carried him the rest of the way to the room. He was smart, but it was obvious he still had the mentality of a very young pup sometimes. His elderly trainer couldn't give him the proper training he needed, the experience he should have had, but she didn't fault the old man for Bullet's shortcomings. She just couldn't find it in her to do so.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The practice and ceremony went without a hitch, and afterwards, everyone headed off as a group to the ID office back at the Pokémon Center. The process of waiting and filling out extra paperwork was a pain, but subsequently, it all went through without any more delays. An hour after graduation, Lupin was peering down at her new, freshly made ID. The photographer had wanted her to take off her hat, but she had somehow managed to wheedle her way into keeping it on. She mostly had Riptide and Bullet's hissing and growling to thank for a majority of that.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the Sprout Tower, the imposing pagoda a beacon that drew many to it, like moths to the flame. There were more people loitering about the beautiful garden, soaking up the sun or enjoying the scenery. It was another nice day, after all, and the amount of bodies that were coming and going were more than the previous times Lupin had come to visit the Sprout Tower.

"I guess we should head inside and get this stuff over with as quickly as possible," she commented idly.

"You sure you want to go through with this?" Riptide replied, clacking his jaws a few times. "If you start this, this means you might have to fight Falkner. And if that happens, you end up getting a badge. That wasn't exactly what you were aiming for when you started this journey."

Not that he really minded. If it meant fighting, he was all for it. But Lupin was his trainer now. She called the shots, with or without his approval. He deferred to her, whether his advice was taken or not. She didn't answer right away. She didn't move either. Instead, she remained where she was, faltering now that he'd brought that up. The gears were turning in her head, he could see that, and from the glance down at Bullet, he could see it as well. He could smell the anxiety wafting off of her, being in such close proximity of the woman. He could see the second-guessing flashing across the eye that was visible to him, her brow drawing together in a pinched-thoughtful look.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity had passed them by, she nodded. Determination built, first a small ember until it grew and blazed like wildfire. She reached up and tugged her hat down a little, making sure her ears were secure and hidden.

"We've come too far to get stopped by some punk gym leader with a big ego. He wants me to fight these people in the tower, then fine. We'll give it all we got and then some."

He laughed at that, already feeling his blood boiling at the prospect.

"_Finally_. I thought I'd never hear you say those words. I was beginning to believe I'd made the wrong choice traveling with you."

"Ye of little faith."

"Consider my faith restored."

"So we're going? We're fighting?" Bullet panted out, his body trembling with excitement. Lupin motioned toward the entrance of the Sprout Tower.

"Onward ho," she grinned with a nod of approval. He gave a howl of delight and bounded off ahead of them. Lupin followed after him at a more leisurely pace, but underneath the calm, she was actually looking forward to the battles ahead as well. If it meant getting her one step closer to the information she wanted, then so be it.

Let the fights commence.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

It was quickly noted and established that the sages who trained in the Sprout Tower had a preference to the flower pokémon, Bellsprout. Lupin still had mixed feelings about the little reedy things, having lost Syd to one of their kind. It was an open wound that was still sensitive and hadn't quite scabbed over completely. Being reminded of the event opened it a little further, but she didn't dare let it show. Instead, she torched them all down. These weren't the ones who had harmed her little bird, but it felt somewhat satisfying to take them all down, in a grim sort of fashion.

Each victory led her closer to the highest point in the pagoda. Inside, as she twirled the nexus of the tower's stairwells to the top floor, the center beam swayed in time with every battle. It was nauseating at first, worrisome after a time, then nothing more than a norm.

The center beam was created to do as such, and as legend had it, it was created from the largest living Bellsprout. Of course, that had to be impossible, and it was a fair point which she and Riptide agreed upon. When Lupin asked one of the sages about it, they laughed politely at her inquiry and motioned to the center beam.

"It sways like that to keep the tower from falling. And battles make it sway as well, not just the seismic activity."

"Like earthquake prevention?"

"Something like that. I'm sure you've heard of the legend about the mighty Bellsprout who became the center point of our pagoda, yes?"

"Somewhat. It sounds like a tall tale, but it makes for a good story."

He only smiled at her before permitting her to continue forward, not uttering another peep about it. Instead, he watched her go and when she was gone, tended to his Bellsprout's wounds.

When Lupin reached the highest point in the pagoda, the center beam was swaying again, back and forth like a metronome, almost in a hypnotizing fashion. Further behind it, she could hear the sounds of a battle raging on. A few more sages stood in her way, and one of them had a Hoothoot on his team, alongside the signature Bellsprout that they all possessed. He was tough, but switching out Bullet with Riptide to do battle with the Hoothoot proved a good strategy. He quickly took down the puffball when it fluttered too close to him. He snapped it right out of the air, using his bite attack without mercy until the sage recalled him.

He motioned wordlessly for her to continue on ahead. He was her last opponent and as she rounded the corner of the shifting beam, she stopped herself short. Bullet ran into the back of her calf, only half-paying attention to where he was going and fell back on his rump.

"Hey! You're supposed to be moving forward, not stopping! This isn't a crosswalk, ya know," he grumbled, before taking stock of his trainer's frozen expression. He followed her gaze, confused. There were two people near the back, one an elderly man and the other a young redheaded young man. "Lupin?"

"Uh…yeah, sorry, Bullet."

"It's him again."

"I can see that," Lupin replied.

"Who's 'him'?"

"Some punk with a bad attitude we met on the road a few weeks back," Riptide replied with a low hiss. "He stole that Chikorita by his side from Professor Elm. We should report him to the authorities before he gets away."

Suddenly, as though being watched, the redhead turned his gaze on them. That ridiculously smarmy smirk appeared on his face, and he strolled away from the white-haired man before him. He stopped short of Lupin.

"So, you've made it this far since we last met," he looked her over, sneering. He jerked his head, motioning to the old man behind him. "He claims to be the 'Elder', but he's weak. It stands to reason. I'd never lose to fools who babble on about being nice to pokémon. I only care about strong pokémon that can win. I really couldn't care less about weak pokémon."

His gaze slid from Riptide to Bullet as he spoke. Bullet whined and hid behind Lupin. Riptide hissed low in his throat, narrowing his eyes at Shirubā. Chikorita looked worriedly on between her trainer and Lupin. Riptide could see she was dreading another fight. She looked ready to collapse and was trying to put up a strong front. The redhead looked her over one last time, then turned on his heel toward the exit.

"I don't know how you managed to slip through the cracks, but you're going to end up like that old man the next time we meet. I'll beat you and crush you down so hard into the ground, you'll _never_ want to get up again. C'mon, Chikorita. Let's go. It's starting to stink of loser around here."

Lupin bristled and Bullet growled menacingly at Shirubā, baring his fangs. "Say that again to my face, you greasy-haired bastard! Come back here!"

He started after Shirubā, but Lupin gave a sharp bark, ordering him back over. He hesitated, looking torn, before grudgingly trotting back over to Lupin's side.

"Don't get worked up over him. He's a young kid. A punk-ass kid, but a kid nonetheless. He thinks he's invincible."

"A punk-ass kid who _stole_ a pokémon from the professor," Riptide reminded her. She nodded at the grim reminder. "We'll report we saw him in town when we're done here."

The elderly man was tending to his pokémon as Lupin approached. He was kneeling on _tatami_ mat, the design simple and practical. His robes nearly covered the entire thing from sight, and hiding his lower body in its many folds of dark clothe. He finished healing his team as she approached and he offered her a sage nod in her direction before standing, giving her a deep bow. She hesitated, then returned the gesture, feeling a little awkward, as well as mindful of the Totodile still resting on her shoulders. She straightened only when he had, and he nodded, as though in approval of her manners.

"Good afternoon, young lady. So good of you to come here! My name is Elder Li," he said, stepping off the _tatami_ mat. "Sprout Tower is a place of training, as I'm sure you've already gathered from your trek up here. People and pokémon test their bonds to build a bright future together. I am that final test. Allow me to check the ties between your pokémon and you!"

Quick as a wink, he started the battle with no other words, flinging a pokéball into the air. Light surged from it as it split open, coalescing into a solid shape. A Bellsprout sprung forth, looking spry and ready for a fight. It swayed like the tower's center beam, back and forth in a lazy fashion. Bullet trotted forward, his claws clicking on the lacquered hard wood floor, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. In spite of the several battles to get here, he was just as lively, and raring to go.

"Bellsprout, use vine whip!" Elder Li barked out, not hesitating to get the first hit in. Lupin instantly retaliated with a command of flame wheel to Bullet. Fire coated his fur almost instantaneously, warding off a majority of the Bellsprout's stinging vine. He charged forward, a rampaging ball of flame hurtling on fast legs. The Elder's Bellsprout panicked and started to dart away on surprisingly quick little appendages, attempting to outrun the Growlithe bearing down on it. Bullet was fast, though, living up to his namesake and hit the Bellsprout in the back with his flame wheel attack. The Bellsprout shrieked and went careening wildly through the air.

Light surged upwards, recalling the injured Bellsprout to the safety of its pokeball. Elder Li gave her a nod, then threw his second pokeball. A HootHoot formed in midair, flapping its short, stubby wings. Wide, red eyes peered down at Bullet.

"Hoothoot, use hypnosis!"

Bright light emitted from the Hoothoot's eyes, much like foresight that Reyna had used back in the Haunted Forest. Just watching it, however, made Lupin realize it was different. She felt tired suddenly, from looking at the waves of red light.

"Don't look at it, run away!" Riptide's voice cut through the mental thickness, quick and sharp, like a hot knife through butter. She flinched at the intrusion, and so did Bullet on the battlefield. He had begun to sway, almost like a Bellsprout, uncoordinated and clumsy. The call, however, snapped him out of his tired stupor.

Lupin thought quickly before shouting, "Ember!"

Red-hot fire was spat out, filling the air with cinders, making the air shimmer and dance from heat waves. Smoke curled and coiled upwards as a few hit the hard wood floors, sizzling out before they'd begun to catch. Elder Li's Hoothoot managed to dive away from most of the fire, but some caught its tail feathers, singing them enough to make flight difficult. It went down hard, bouncing a few times. Bullet pounced almost immediately, dragging the Hoothoot by one wing with his fangs, shaking hard as he bit down. The owl pokémon screeched in agony, beating its other wing uselessly in an attempt to get away.

"Peck attack, Hoothoot!"

The little ball of feathers did as it was bid, turning to stab its beak at Bullet's face.

"That's enough, Bullet, let 'em go!"

The Growlithe leapt nimbly out of the way, bits of his muzzle bloody from where he'd bitten the Hoothoot. The bird flopped uselessly on the ground, screeching and panting. Elder Li recalled the Hoothoot, sighing. He held up a third pokémon, nodding to Lupin.

"My last pokemon. I was certainly not expecting to be beaten twice in one day. Perhaps luck will be on my side, though. Bellsprout, let's go!"

Another Bellsprout came onto the battlefield, identical to the last he'd sent out. It bobbed and weaved and swayed on the spot. It was held upright on thin leg-like appendages and its comical bulbous head the only thing that stood still. Bullet growled low in his throat, his hackles bristling. Lupin glanced at Riptide.

"You sure you don't wanna tackle this?"

"Do I look suicidal to you? I rather like having my hide intact, thank you."

Lupin snorted, but kept Bullet out nonetheless. The blue gator had a point. Bellsprout would probably put a major hurt on Riptide, being at a type disadvantage. Bullet was the best choice, being a fire-type.

"Vine whip!"

"Ember!"

Fire heaved forward, canceling out the vine whip attack before it had even began. The Bellsprout was overcome quickly enough, knocking it clear across the room. It struck the wall, its tiny body making a soft 'splat' as it hit before sliding down in an unceremonious heap. Elder Li recalled it, another sigh puffing past his lips.

"My, what an exciting battle!"

He laughed. Lupin stared at him, boggled.

"You…I-I don't…understand."

He laughed some more. "The way you battled—it was quite elegant. You were in tune with your pokemon, which could prove useful if you went up against Falkner. Or anyone else, for that matter. You'll need that harmony when you are together against other opponents."

Elder Li crossed the small distance between them, shuffling on quiet feet. He dug into one of his flowing sleeves and held out a CD to her. Curious, Lupin moved toward him for a closer inspection. "What is it?"

"My dear girl, it's TM. Or, if you prefer, it's a Technical Machine. It contains data to teach a pokemon a move that they would otherwise not be able to learn their entire natural lives on their own. There are many like this. This is TM Flash. With it, a pokemon on your team able to learn it can illuminate even the darkest cave. I want you to take it."

He pressed it into her hand and curled her fingers with his own, giving it a pat. He flashed her another grin.

"I hope that you learn much on your journey and continue to grow. That was simply a marvelous battle, one of the better ones I've had in ages."

She smiled, although it was a hesitant one at the praise. He stepped back. Elder Li appraised her for a moment longer, then bowed to her. She returned the gesture.

"Thank you for the battle, miss. I can tell you care for your pokemon. You could have sent out your Totodile and risk injury to my Bellsprout, but you chose wisely to stick with your Growlithe. Not only type-advantage smart, but tactically so. I didn't expect my Hoothoot to fail in his hypnosis attack. He rarely does. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must attend to my team's injuries…"

And like that, Lupin could tell a dismissal when she was given one. She shuffled off, scooping up Bullet as she did and was immediately assaulted with warm, slobbery kisses from his tongue.

"Did I do good, did I, did I?"

She laughed as they quickly descended, rubbing at his neck scruff and scratching his belly. Riptide made disgruntled noises from her shoulder at the puppy pokémon's antics.

"Yes, of course you did good. You did _great_!"

He was delighted at his success and even found enough courage to swipe his tongue at Riptide, who hadn't been paying the Growlithe much attention. He hissed menacingly at the Growlithe. Bullet whined, ears lower against his head and his tail tucking between his legs. Lupin snickered, annoying him further. He swiped a paw at his snout in a vain attempt to wipe off the slobber.

_Damn my stubby arms. Can't wait until I'm bigger. Than I can wipe my snout all I like and not have to ask help to do it, ever again._

"Okay, no more kisses for Rip, you know he hates that."

"I'm sorry, I just got all excited. I forgot, I'm sorry," he whined, looking a little abashed. Riptide kept an eye on him the rest of the way back to the center from then on, since Lupin thought it necessary to carry the furry beast, much to his chagrin.

Just in case.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**_Note:_ Bullet is smart, he's just childish in some manners, since essentially he's listed as a "puppy pokémon", so he still has childish mannerisms. Plus, he's a dog. Dogs get excited a lot. Well, most dogs. Bullet is no exception to this. :3**


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Fine

**Chapter Nineteen:****  
****Fine**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note_****: This was a slightly difficult chapter to write. Mostly due to the battles. And the pushing forward of the plot. And I haven't posted this many chapters for a story consecutively in a long time, not without posting a few, then deleting it, and rewriting it all over again. So, yay for me for not giving up, maybe?**

**Also, anyone interested, I have a "title page" made for this story, over on one of my Tumblr pages. Simply take out spaces, add in the dots and slashes, and you'll be good to go! :D**

**(The usual http noise over here) blues scales and broken teeth .com(slash) image (slash) 108505789115**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_Andy, what's happening?"  
"Gary thinks we should keep up with the crawl because they know what they're doing, but they don't know that we know what they're doing, and basically no one else has a better idea, so_ fuck it._"  
_**Sam Chamberlain and Andrew Knightley, "****_The World's End_****"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Did you hear about the storms between Cianwood and the Whirl Islands?" A young girl in pink said. She motioned toward a television screen behind her. The small group turned their attention toward it for a moment. Lupin glanced over and slowed her gait across the Pokémon Center lobby, her interest piqued.

"Yeah, I heard about this earlier on the radio. The news said three or four boats and their crews went down. They've only found pieces of wreckage that could float to the surface." One of the boys to her left replied.

"The Sea Guardian must've been angry." The girl said.

"The Sea Guardian is supposed to _protect_. Hence the name '_guardian'_, Hana."

The girl in pink, Hana, blushed furiously until her face almost matched her clothes. "I _know_ that. But even _guardians_ can get angry, Kyo."

There was a moment of silence before the group got up and left, their pokémon in hand, shoulder, or pokéball.

Lupin stared after the small group, before casting her gaze up to a flat-screen television hosting a news channel the group had been watching. Above the droning white noise of the center, Lupin could hear the video loop of a reporter speaking with someone from Cianwood. It switched to the news anchor to move on to the next story. Riptide stirred on her shoulder, watching words scroll by. Bullet barked at them to hurry up. That got the ball rolling, and Lupin started after him, turning toward the hallway that would lead them to the upper level staircase.

"Why did you stop?" Riptide tilted his head to view her more properly. Lupin mounted the stairs after the Growlithe. She shrugged.

"They were talking about that sea guardian near Cianwood. Those kids in the lobby, not the news people. Said that's why the storms went on. That's…the sea guardian, that's supposed to be Lugia, right?"

"Bah. Superstitious little brats. I'm sure they believe that Palkia and Dialga control time and space, and that Giratina lives in some world rift parallel to ours," Riptide hissed in distaste. The Growlithe ahead of them paused and whined, his ears pinning to his head.

"Why do you hate people who believe in the gods and guardians?"

"Because it's superstitious hoo-ha. They believe in things they can't see or feel. They make up stories to explain away why the sun sets or the storms rage. Even now, after science has enlightened such events as naturally-occurring phenomena, they still praise these pokémon—that may or may not exist—as the reason why these events continue to occur." He eyed the Growlithe with mild disdain. "I don't like wasting my time with chasing down ideas that haven't been proven in hundreds of years. No one has presented substantial proof that any of these 'Legendaries' exist."

Bullet paused in his trek to look at the Totodile on Lupin's shoulder, glowering sullenly.

"Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. We breathe air and those smart guys in labs, they proved it's there even if we can't see it, haven't they?"

Riptide was taken aback by the response and snapped his jaws with a resounding '_clack_.' Lupin stared between the two, rather impressed at the Growlithe's observation.

"Ya know…" she said after a few moments of awkward and stilted silence. "He actually has a point."

Bullet turned away with his nose in the air, a smug doggy grin on his face, and a bounce in his step as he crossed the hallway to their door. Lupin slowly followed, trying and failing rather miserably at hiding her grin from Riptide. He hissed at her in belated response.

"…stupid Growlithe."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Shirubā got away. What a gyp."

"Who's Shirubā?"

Bullet tilted his head at the werewolf, whining as he paused to stop and assess his jump up onto the bed. Riptide was already sprawled half on her belly, the other on the bed. She absently rubbed her hand along his back scutes, occasionally bringing her fingers up to rub at his head. As soon as the Growlithe came padding across the bed, he collapsed on her other side, and she curled her other arm around him.

"That redheaded kid we saw earlier at the Sprout Tower. The police took our report and ran with it, but it looks like he's not in Violet City anymore."

"Oh. _Him_. He was a mean kid." The Growlithe lifted his head up to glance at Riptide. "You said he stole a pokémon, right? Aren't thieves like that supposed to be locked up?"

"I don't know. Did _you_ ever get locked up in all your years of stealing?"

"Hey!"

"Riptide," Lupin warned, and he let out a soft croaking groan in response.

"Fine, fine," he sighed back. "We met him on the road coming from New Bark Town. He fought us then and there, with the same Chikorita Professor Elm had at his lab. The police were informed of his theft and they've been on alert since. Or so we thought. It seems Violet City has no such concerns, or else they would have caught him as soon as he strolled through town."

"How did he do it, though?"

Riptide shifted his head to stare at the puppy pokémon. "We don't know. They didn't release that information to us. And neither the professor nor his assistant see anything or know how it happened either." Another turn of his head and he was staring at Lupin pointedly. "But enough on that, there's nothing more we can do about it right now."

"I could hunt him down," Lupin suggested. "I know his scent. I could probably track him down and bring him in."

The Totodile snorted, while Bullet stared on with a look akin to amazement and confusion.

"Is that what a werewolf can do? They can smell things out?"

"More or less…I guess. My nose is pretty good. I don't necessarily get lost easily."

"No. Let the police handle it," Riptide said, flaring his nostrils and closing his eyes briefly. "You have more pressing things to attend to. Such as this next meeting with Falkner."

"Which is looking more and more like a prospective gym battle. I don't want to battle him, though."

"If you had to in order to get any information you needed, would you, though?"

"I…" Lupin stopped herself short, realizing she wasn't entirely too sure. She drew herself up a little more onto her pillow, frowning at the expectant Totodile and Growlithe, both staring and waiting. Riptide had that perpetually permanent crooked smile on his face, but she was never truly sure what was going through his mind sometimes. The lack of facial expressions tended to be a good mask. But Bullet was an easier read. His blue eyes were wide and brimming with energy and his body heat fluctuated with his mood. He was hot to the touch, but not uncomfortably so, and his body was coiled and tense, as though ready to start bouncing off the walls from sheer excitement.

"I don't…know, I…I didn't really think that far."

Riptide considered her for a few moments longer, then closed his eyes. "Then think on how important it is to you that you talk to him without those restrictions barring you two. He wants a show, it seems like. If you give it to him, he'll most likely be more willing to extend the olive branch. If you refuse, then you might have lost out on a potential source of information, but you can always move on to the next source. Azalea Town and Goldenrod are to the south, while Ecruteak and Olivine are to the west. Mahogany and Blackthorn are to the north."

"You're being…awfully relaxed about this. I thought you would want to fight Falkner."

The Totodile hummed for a few seconds, opened his eyes and clacked his jaws. "Yes, I do. But that's what I want as a prospective battler. You're my trainer and not just a lab tech assistant now. You make the decisions for me and for Bullet. I may not like your decision to crawl away from a possible battle, but I was not _just_ bred to battle, I was bred to be a partner for a future trainer. That means I…I follow your lead."

He watched her and for a moment, Lupin almost forgot Bullet was there too, her focus was so intense. When his tongue swiped across her cheek, Lupin jumped, startled. He sat up, staring at her with a wide doggy grin, panting while he rested his front paws on her thigh.

"He's right. I mean, I'm not—_I_ wasn't bred or anything _fancy_ like Riptide was or nothing, but…he's right. We're your pokémon. We follow your lead. If you don't wanna battle gym leaders, then you don't have to. We can't force you." He slurped his tongue back into his mouth and moved closer, placing a paw on her stomach. "But I wanna help you however I can. I don't think I'd like not remembering Benjamin, my…my old trainer. So…whatever we do, I'll help you."

She stared between the both of them, first at Bullet, then at Riptide. They waited, anticipating her answer expectantly. Slowly, she sat back up, and smiled at the both of them moments before scooping them up and pulling them into an embrace. "Thanks, guys…we'll head out there tomorrow first thing, and if we have to fight, we'll do it. But if we don't well…then that's fine too."

The Growlithe to her right gave a happy yowl, brimming with excitement. Riptide hummed in a rather pleased manner, the vibrations thrumming gently against her shoulder. There was no more time for hesitating and overthinking, she realized.

Now it was time to start acting.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The Violet City Gym overlooked everything in its surrounding area, a towering behemoth compared to most buildings. Its colour scheme was just as muted and somber as the rest of the city. Not a single building was overly garish or out-of-place in Violet City, none that Lupin noticed anyway. And, strangely enough, the gym held true to a violet hue, as though it had been purposefully schemed as such in honour of its city's namesake. It was a pleasing shade, but it also briefly reminded her of one of the individuals in her photos. The thought was fleeting and short-lived, however, when a loud screech arose above them. Three heads craned upwards toward the lead gray sky, a precursor to another hefty downpour. Riptide hummed thoughtfully as his yellow-red eyes spotted something high up, flitting back and forth to the wind's whims above. It was noticeable for its pale colours that stood out rather starkly against the dark background of the sky.

Another figure rose swiftly, this one dark and almost discernable to find at first. Lupin's ears twitched under her hat at the commotion the two made. Shockwaves visibly appeared in midair, thrust forth from the powerful wing strokes of the two combatants. She stared, amazed at the sight before Bullet barked at her. She looked at her feet first, expecting to see him, but quickly found he was waiting across the street by the gym entrance.

"Hey, c'mon! We can see these fights better from inside! I heard they have some kinda platform you can watch these things from!"

Quickly crossing the street, she cast the two battlers above in the heavens one last look, before stepping into the retreat of the gym. Behind her, a few moments later, rain began to fall.

"I thought the weather was done with the rains," she commented quietly to Riptide as she stepped further into the receiving lobby. It was empty, save for a front desk tucked away in the corner. The occupant behind the desk, a dark haired woman wearing a pair of rim-horned glasses, looked up at her, and then smiled.

"It seems the weather decided to go out with a final bang this spring," he replied back as Lupin moved toward the desk.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm guessing you're here to schedule a battle with Falkner?"

"Well, I actually only wanted to talk with him. He told me to come see him after defeating the sages and the Elder at Sprout Tower. It's about some research I needed help with."

The woman's smile deflated momentarily, taken aback, before she turned her eyes to her computer screen.

"Let's see…I'll have to speak with him beforehand, just to confirm this. He's battling another trainer right now, so if you'd like, we can go up on the battle platform and wait it out until he's finished."

"That's fine," she nodded to the woman. She stood, unfolding long legs as she stepped out from behind the desk toward another door that, presumably, led out to the main gym floor. Lupin followed with Riptide on her shoulders and Bullet at her heels as they stepped through. Inside, it was hollow and wide-spaced. It wasn't until Lupin looked up to see that the main attraction wasn't on ground level. It was on a platform built high above them, and from the way there was cheering that drifted down to greet them, there were plenty of people up there at that moment.

Lupin looked back to find the woman moving toward a lift that ran on a track, leading up to the platform. She followed and it wasn't long before they were rising up high above ground level. A sense of vertigo overcame her, but there wasn't fear building up in her gut at the dizzying height. It was an expectant and comforting warmth, one that settled her instead of making her uncomfortable. The woman didn't seem to notice how relaxed she was and when the ride was over, simply stepped off and motioned for Lupin to follow. Bullet wobbled on unsure legs as he timidly followed after her, keeping his belly low to the platform as he slunk along. Riptide dug his claws tightly into her shoulders, hissing quietly against her cheek.

"You guys okay?"

"I'm a water-type. My home field is in the water. He's a fire-breathing dog who's lived his life on the streets, not flying the air. What do you think the math adds up to, hm?" He hissed back. There was a nervousness in his tone Lupin hadn't ever heard before.

"Wait. Are you…are you afraid of heights?" She had to grin a little at that. The Totodile was usually rather laid back and relaxed most of the time, but there was a tension in his body and voice now. It was something she noticed right off the bat.

"_No_, I just prefer my feet on the ground or better yet, in the water. I'm more comfortable. It has _nothing_ to do with fear. I simply don't like being this high up." He snapped back. Lupin snickered.

"I won't tell anyone if you're afraid, you know. It's okay to be scared."

"I'm _not_ scared, I'm _uncomfortable_! Those are two very distinct emotions!"

"Scaredy-gator," Bullet called to the Totodile. If he could, Riptide would have scowled.

"Look at what you started!" He'd nip Lupin's ears for this later. The Growlithe only laughed.

Bullet followed after the Lupin, his belly slowly rising higher off the ground now as he became used to the platform. Below on the ground, they couldn't see anything past the platform, but now they could see that the roof was gone and it left the sky available to them. A small section of bleachers were erected to allow prospective challengers to watch. An overhang protected the seats from the weather, although occasionally the wind would send out spritzes of water onto the onlookers.

Out in the main arena, two trainers stood at either end of the battlefield. On one side was Falkner and on the other was a girl, looking to be in her early teens and dressed in a white skirt, white socks and shoes, and white blouse. Even the giant bow holding her hair up was white, as was the bag she had by her feet.

Both trainers were focused intensely on the sky, where their pokémon were battling it out. One was a Pidgeotto and the other a Murkrow. The winds kicked up, spraying the sprinkling of rain all over the place. Lupin lifted a hand to block it from her eyes. Falkner cried out to the Pidgeotto, bellowing a final command. The attack was fast, another boom of air slicing toward the Murkrow. It was made all the more menacing by the fact that the rain made it more visible. The Murkrow tried ducking it with a sharp dive, but it slammed into the black-feathered bird's backside instead. It was sent spiraling to the arena ground in an out of control tailspin. The girl bolted across the battlefield after a failed command to get upright again. She made it in the nick of time to catch the downed bird in her arms.

The Pidgeotto came sailing in to land beside Falkner. A man in a striped shirt came trotting onto the field and declared Falkner the winner, as his challenger had no other pokémon to battle with. The girl quickly retreated, clutching the unconscious Murkrow to her chest toward the lift. Bullet whined, watching her go.

"Is…is the bird gonna be all right?"

"Perhaps. But that blow to the backside didn't look pleasant," Riptide answered offhandedly. He had his eyes on the woman who had escorted them there. She waltzed toward Falkner with purpose in her step, and the young man turned to her when she was closer. The crowd on the bleachers watched, waiting, talking excitedly amongst themselves. Most ignored Lupin, too busy either prepping themselves or waiting for the next match to start.

The Totodile on her shoulder tapped Lupin on the cheek and she flinched in surprise after a minute or so.

"Pay attention. You're good to go now."

She turned to see the woman was done talking and Falkner waving her over. She did so, liking the smile he was sporting less and less. Bullet whined and grumbled under his breath as rain pelted his fur.

Falkner raked his eyes over Lupin and her team, an almost hungry, assessing look. The Pidgeotto at his side did much the same. Neither of them appeared too distressed at being soaked by the downpour.

"Well, now! Seems you finally made it. I was beginning to get worried you'd skipped town." He motioned to the woman at his side. "If you'd like, we can start the search now, but I have another request before we get into that."

"You want to battle, don't you?"

He didn't appear too surprised at her assessment. He grinned a little. "Very sharp. I like that."

Lupin sighed, and caught Riptide's eye. He rattle-laughed. "Told you."

"Fine. I don't see why you didn't take the pictures the day you came to the Academy, though."

"I wouldn't have wanted an angry lady such as yourself come knocking down my doors if I took them and decided you had a change of heart later on, now would I? Besides, if you wanted to leave the city, I doubt you'd have left them with me. You'd have had to come back here regardless of whether or not I had anything to give you. I rather prefer this to the other option."

"And if I say no?" She prodded. He shrugged.

"More your loss than mine. I'm not the one with amnesia. I know exactly who I am. It's your life you're dismissing if you did that, not mine."

Riptide laughed again. "And another point to me…"

Lupin clenched her jaw and squeezed her fists at her side, before releasing the tension altogether.

"…fine. You want a show, you got one."

_Prick._

Falkner's grin grew wider. "That's the spirit. Gotta get the Butterfree out of the Metapod somehow. _Monsieur_ Dervish told me you were a particularly _stubborn_ student he had this semester. Smart, but stubborn."

_I can't tell if he's insulting me or complimenting me._

He moved back to his previous position on the arena field, and without needing a guiding word, Lupin moved to the opposite side. Every step made her feel like she had lead weights in her boots. She heard groans and jeering from the bleachers, and one rather loud, "Oh come _on_! I've been waiting for _days_ to get my Zephyr Badge!"

"Change of plans and apologies in advance to everyone who has been waiting, especially since the weather's a bit less than desirable! We're having one more battle scheduled in, very last minute, I'm sure you understand!" Falkner called from his position on the field. Another chorus of groans rose up, some scowling at the werewolf, but others merely hunkered down. The secretary at his side took this as a cue to move away.

"You already know who I am and what I specialize in, so there's no point in some long-winded, grandeur gesture to spew about! But one thing I hate, it's when people say you can clip flying-type pokémon's wings with a jolt of electricity." He nodded purposefully toward the sky, heavy and burdened with what seemed like one last spring shower shebang. He focused his gaze back to Lupin, his eyes intense and the earlier borderline friendliness gone now. "I won't allow such insults to bird pokémon! I'll show you the real power of the magnificent bird pokémon!"

With that said, he pulled a pokéball from his belt and threw it. Light spilled from the split orb, a shape coalesced, and a Pidgey stood in the middle of the arena, blinking twice and ruffling its feathers before taking to the air. Lupin glanced at Bullet, who was staring at the little bird intensely. She gave a sharp, short whistle and he lurched forward. The Growlithe paused once to shake the water off of him, then stopped on his side of the arena. The referee came back out and stopped at the mid-line of the field. Falkner nodded to the man, who lifted an arm above his head, a green flag on a stick in his hand.

"The rules remain the same as the previous matches: there will be two pokémon admitted per trainer! When one trainer has no more pokémon or they are unable to continue battling, the trainer automatically forfeits the match." He paused, glancing to Falkner and then over at Lupin. After the pause, he threw down his arm with the flag, letting it snap as it rushed. "Begin!"

"Nettle, tackle attack!"

"Dodge it, Bullet! Counter with a bite attack!"

The Pidgey came soaring in quickly, a blur of tan and cream feathers dive bombing the striped fire-dog. Bullet dove off to the side when the Pidgey came close enough and snapped his jaws at the bird. A few nipped feathers puffed into the air and the Growlithe spat some downy from his teeth, but the little bird kept on course, circling back around. Falkner's Pidgey remained higher up, just out of reach. Bullet snarled, his ears splaying back against his head. Bullet hunkered lower to the platform, waiting.

"This rain isn't helping him. He won't be able to use his fire-type attacks very effectively." Riptide muttered, hissing quietly as he tilted his head back.

Lupin stared between Bullet, the Pidgey, and Falkner. His features were mask; it was hard to get a read off him. He was confident, that much was for sure, but at least he wasn't gloating about it.

Rain continued to pelt them all, and she could feel dozens of eyes focused on her, the pokemon, Falkner.

Then it hit her.

"Bullet, use flame wheel!"

The Growlithe jumped in surprise, glancing back at her with wide, blue eyes.

"_What_?! But it's raining! It won't work!"

"Bullet! Just trust me, do it! And don't let up until your fur's _completely_ covered in fire, not just parts of it!"

He hesitated, before turning back around to stare at the overhead Pidgey. Falkner barked at it for another tackle attack, guessing the same thing: fire wasn't going to stand much of a chance out in this weather. The Growlithe took a hit, but it was a small price paid for a delayed start up. His fur superheated and steam began to rise as it dried rapidly, only to be soaked by the rain seconds later. The reaction was near-instantaneous: his fur eventually caught fire and the rain continued to pound away at him, and the resulting effect soon shrouded the arena in a smokescreen. The Pidgey was engulfed as well as the steam rose higher and higher. It squawked in protest, but didn't dare move higher or lower, waiting for Falkner's next move.

"Use odor sleuth, Bullet! Find that Pidgey!"

She heard a woof in return before a yowl of victory from Bullet. On the other side of the arena, she heard Falkner shout, "Nettle, use gust, blow away all of this!"

"Jump up and use bite!"

The wind picked up from the Pidgey's attack, but it ended just as abruptly and a scream of pain shattered any doubts Bullet had missed. The smoke began to clear slowly, and the referee stepped closer, bobbing back and forth, trying to determine if the match was finished or if there were still combatants fighting.

Bullet stood off to the far side close to Lupin's half, an unconscious Pidgey in his jowls. Rivulets of red were dribbling from between his teeth and being washed away by the rain. Falkner stared, his expression frozen halfway between anger and blankness. He turned to look at the referee, who lifted a red flag up on Falkner's end.

"Nettle the Pidgey is unable to battle. Challenger Lupin has won this match."

"Bullet, drop the Pidgey," Lupin called, and the Growlithe did as he was bid, gently depositing the bird on the ground. He trotted over closer with a wag of his sopping wet tail.

"Did I do good? Did I, did I?"

"You did a stupendous job, Bullet," she said, dropping to a knee and opening her arms out. He ran the rest of the way over, pouncing on her and licking her cheek. She hugged him, not minding getting soaked further by the puppy pokémon's wet fur.

"It wasn't stupid, was it? I thought I did everything good!"

"Stupendous, you halfwit. It means—"

"It means you did a _great_ job, a _really_ great one," Lupin interrupted Riptide, before patting Bullet's flank. "Go back out there, we have one more pokémon to fight."

"Okay!"

Riptide hissed, staring intently at the Pidgeotto at Falkner's side.

"You know he's going to be bringing out that one, don't you?"

"I know. You think Bullet can take him?"

The Totodile exhaled slowly. "Possibly. If the conditions were right. Today's not a good day to be a fire-type, though. I told you this already. Be prepared to send me out, just in case. And Lupin? Don't try the smokescreen again. That Pidgeotto has stronger wings than the Pidgey was and will just blow it all away. That's tactical advice."

Riptide curled tighter around her shoulders, his claws digging into her. She reached up and rubbed at his head as Bullet stopped on his side of the arena. The rain continued to pelt them all, cutting away the last of Bullet's smokescreen. Falkner tilted his head toward the Pidgeotto at his side and nodded to the large bird.

"Go on, Ophelia," he said, turning back to the arena. "The wind is finally with us! This battle will be in our favour!"

The Pidgeotto took flight with a shrill cry, rising up to the heavens high above, taking to circling about. Bullet squinted and growled as he stared up at the circling bird pokémon.

It didn't take Falkner long to go on the offensive. He ordered his Pidgeotto to send a gust attack down on Bullet.

"Use flame wheel! Get up and knock that bird outta the sky!"

Fire met water, causing steam to instantly break out. The wind picked up from Falkner's Pidgeotto, causing all the steam, fire, rainwater, and air to stir restlessly. Bullet yelped as the fire alongside his fur suddenly whipped out of existence and the Pidgeotto was suddenly dive bombing. He dodged too late and took the brunt of the hit, skittering along the arena. Lupin winced as he came to a full stop and struggled up to his paws. Riptide hissed loudly.

"He's had enough, call him back and send me out!"

"Not yet," Lupin hissed back. The Pidgeotto skimmed the outskirts of the arena. The others in the bleachers were all crying out. Some were rooting for the little Growlithe, while others screamed for Falkner to put the fire dog out of his misery. Bullet stumbled to his paws, glowering at the Pidgeotto, following the bird pokémon as it glided along.

"Tackle, Ophelia, take 'em down!"

The Pidgeotto veered sharply, picking up speed and hurtling toward Bullet.

"Now, Bullet, ember attack!"

For a split moment, while the air was still clear, Lupin caught a glimpse of shock on Falkner's face. Then fire split the arena in half, hiding the other trainer from sight. The jet of flame shot toward the bird, engulfing her completely. She shrieked in pain and anguish, flapping away hard to escape the fire. Rainwater sliced through the remainders, making the fire hiss as it was put out. Bullet stood on one end of the battlefield. Ophelia the Pidgeotto was fluttering listlessly on the other, one wing held out an awkward angle. Lupin could see the charred feathers and the flesh beneath was blistered and bare. The bird squawked tiredly and looked to Falkner, as though for reprieve.

Falkner kept his eyes locked on Lupin, frowning hard.

"Ophelia, roost."

The bird cooed and laboriously tucked her burnt wing close to her body as a silvery glow overtook her form. She shuddered and the glow sustained itself for several more seconds before it faded away. Most of her burnt feathers were repaired, but the burnt part of her wing still remained and she kept fussing with it.

_She's burned. She's not going to last long if it keeps chipping away at her health._ Lupin looked to Bullet. He was tired, but he still had fight in him.

"Take her down while you can, let's go with another flame wheel again," Lupin called to the Growlithe. He lurched forward on unsteady legs, mustering up the last of his strength to set his coat of fur on fire again. It sizzled every time water hit it, but his fur caught after a few belated moments. Falkner's Pidgeotto attempted to get airborne again, but with her wing burnt, it made it nearly impossible. Bullet snarled as he got himself into a charge, tearing after the bird.

With a final burst, he hit the Pidgeotto and sent them both careening toward the ground in a fiery heap. Ophelia screeched and kicked feebly at the puppy pokémon until a red beam of light recalled her. Falkner was on the other side, holding out a pokéball. Slowly, he lowered his arm and clipped the pokéball to his belt alongside the other one. He stared at Bullet for the longest time, still on the ground, the fire on his fur puttering out and sizzling to nothingness as rainwater continued chipping away at him.

Then his gaze slid to Lupin, who was frozen between standing there and rushing to the puppy pokémon's side.

The referee flipped a red flag in Falkner's direction again after what seemed an eternity.

"Ophelia the Pidgeotto is unable to battle! Challenger Lupin wins the match!"

A sigh of relief and disbelief escaped her lips and slowly, she moved forward over to Bullet to pick him up. He was exhausted and barely able to lift his head, but when she picked up him he managed to get a good lick across her cheek. Riptide exhaled loudly against her other cheek.

"I did good, right?"

"You did an amazing job, buddy. You just rest now."

And with that said, he flopped against her shoulder with a long, drawn out whine and tired sigh.

She turned at the sound of footsteps approaching to find Falkner heading her way. She stood quickly, tucking the puppy pokémon closer to her. His face was once more an unreadable mask. When he was within earshot, she called to him, "Well? How about that deal?"

At first, he didn't react. He stopped close to her and studied her for a long moment, his eyes raking over the exhausted Growlithe in her arms. His shoulders shook and a smile alighted his face.

"That…was rather impressive. Crazy, but impressive." He said as he dipped a hand into a pocket. When he pulled it out, he held out a shiny piece of metal shaped in a pair of rudimentary wings. "You've earned this."

Lupin stared, taken aback. Then she gathered herself again and stared sullenly at the taller man.

"I didn't come here to fight for a badge, Falkner. I came here for information."

Falkner blinked and stared at her as though she'd grown a second head. His eyes flicked between the Growlithe and the Totodile on her shoulders, then back at her.

"You really _are_ crazy. Most trainers don't reject a gym badge, especially after they've certainly earned it."

"Well, call me an exception."

Falkner sighed, looked rather disappointed. "Okay, all right then. I suppose that's it then. If you go back downstairs and meet with Tohru, the woman who brought you up here, she can help out with the search a bit. If all else fails, I'd suggest hitting up Bugsy down in Azalea Town to the south. They live near a port city and sometimes traffic hits there before heading to Goldenrod." He paused, halfway turned on his heel, and added, "And Lupin? I hope you find what you're looking for."

Lupin stared after the taller man in stunned silence until a clack in her ear reminded her to get moving again. When they were well away from the prying eyes of those on the bleachers, with the call of Falkner calling it quits for the day and a chorus of groans and one loud "OH COME ON!", Riptide spoke.

"You really _are_ insane. First the Spinarak and Ariados, then the Onix. And now this."

"I didn't set fire to the bird."

"No, but you seem to have a predisposition to liking things catching fire. Maybe you should have gone with that little mole-rat, Cyndaquil."

She snorted at him and reached up to rub his head. "And miss all of your charming dialogue? Please. You can just put me out whenever I get too hotheaded."

"Ha. Now, let's go find these people of yours before you forget about them again."

"_Really?!_"

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	21. Chapter Twenty: Odds and Ends

**Chapter Twenty:****  
Odds and Ends**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note_****: Whooo! A milestone! Out of the teens! And we're out of Violet City. I have also found a name for Bullet's old trainer.**

**I also appreciate those who have favorited, liked, and generally just read this story. I love that you enjoy this story, especially when someone sends in a nice review about it. :) Thank you so much! **

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_What do you think happens now?"  
"Everything that happens next."_**  
-Booth and Bones, "****_Bones_****"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"So, wait, there's a bunch of ruins on the way to Ecruteak that civilians can just traipse right through? Don't the…the diggers—the archaeologists. Don't they get a little…offended if someone ruined something from, well, from the ruins?"

Riptide sighed heavily, wishing once again that his limbs were long enough to pinch his snout. And that his snout could crinkle like a mammal's just for the "_I'm annoyed. See that I'm annoyed? I'm annoyed now. You made me annoyed,_" look.

"They section off parts of the ruins for tours to go through. Or so I've heard. The professor's made mention of it before, and has even been asked to come down to consult on some…strange pokémon discovered there."

"Strange…pokémon?"

"Well, hieroglyphs of strange-looking pokémon and suspected species living there. Or so the head of the dig has repeatedly stated in his calls to the professor. Strangely enough, they take after the glyph shapes of your language, the more common tongue your people seem fond of speaking."

"I wouldn't say my people, but I get your point."

"So are we going to this dig place or are we going to Azalea Town," Bullet called from below, glancing up at the two as he whined. "And how come the blue lizard gets to ride your shoulders? How come I can't do that?"

"Because you're too big and wriggly to sit still long enough to enjoy the ride, even if you were small enough," Lupin simply replied, earning a whine from the Growlithe, who continued trotting along, but with lowered ears and a sagging tail.

"Oh, you know you'd rather be down there, running around. You'd get too restless up here, sagging about my shoulders like this lazy gator."

Riptide gave a disgruntled hiss and indignant, "That was uncalled for. Rude," while Bullet perked up a little more.

"I guess you're right. I wouldn't be able to go sniff where I'd like if I was stuck up there!"

The Pokémon Center lobby was bustling as they checked out. Lupin eyed the patrons with mild interest while Bullet sat beside her, busying himself with a particularly nasty itch behind his ear. Riptide muttered under his breath the several varying species he could pinpoint visually without effort. He paused, however, at the sight of another Totodile. The other caught Riptide's eye and they stared at one another as Lupin finished logging in the service and time she'd utilized and returned the room key.

She noticed the distant stare Riptide was conducting from the corner of her eye and turned to look as well. The spell broke, and the Totodile gave a nod to Riptide, then turned excitedly toward its trainer, hopping on its hind limbs for attention. The trainer, a young boy of perhaps twelve or thirteen, turned to the mewling pokémon and busied himself with it.

When they were outside, Lupin stopped long enough to ask what that had been about.

"That was my one of my nest-mates. One of my many brothers and sisters. It looks like he's finally gathered himself a trainer."

"Do you…do you want to go say hi?" The question had been an automatic reflex and she was surprised at herself for asking. Riptide bumped his jaw against her cheek.

"No. We have our own plans. A family reunion is not one of them. Those of the Feraligatr line do not coddle one another like other breeds. He'll be fine. We've already established our contact."

"And…that little nod is enough?"

He snorted. "_Mammals_. You wouldn't understand. My kind socialize when we need to. This is not one of those times." He bumped her cheek again. "We have another city to get to. We should get going, since Falkner was a dead end. Hopefully Bugsy won't have as big an inflated ego as that birdbrained human."

Lupin hesitated only for a moment before she started walking again.

"So, how far is Azalea Town? I've never been outside of Violet City," Bullet said as he trotted alongside Lupin. Riptide tilted his head to look down at the Growlithe.

"Roughly a week, if even that. We have to pass through Route Thirty-Two and Union Cave before we're close to Azalea."

"Union…Cave? We have to go through a cave?"

The Totodile eyed the puppy pokémon a little longer. "You'll be fine. You have fire in your belly. You can use that to light the way through."

"A-and if I don't? Have any in my belly, I mean?"

"Then you'll stumble about aimlessly, get lost, and starve to death in the dark."

"_Riptide_, stop being mean on purpose. Bullet, you'll be fine. I promise you, I won't let _anything_ bad happen to you." Lupin stressed through clenched teeth, flicking the Totodile upside the head. Riptide responded with a well-placed nip and a hiss in return.

Before either of them could retort, however, the Pokégear in her pocket began bleating away. The werewolf jumped in surprise as she hurriedly fished it out.

"Uh…I…hello?"

"Lupin! It's Professor Elm! Oh, thank goodness, I almost forgot I had this number, I was going to call the Pokemon Center first before realizing you must've left and then I found this number hanging on my monitor—"

Nervous laughter sounded off on the other end. Lupin exchanged looks between Riptide and Bullet as she stepped to the side to allow a woman and her Persian pass by. Bullet growled, distracted by the large cat as it sauntered past with twitching whiskers and a graceful stride.

"Er…Professor?"

"Hm? Oh, yes! I was calling to congratulate you!"

"Congratulate—you mean my class? I graduated from that about four days ago, Professor Elm. You're a little late on the uptake…"

"Well, I was calling to _belatedly_ congratulate you on that—top of your class, I _knew_ you were a smart young lady! But I was _also_ calling to congratulate you on your first gym battle! Falkner called me and told me all about it—and with a _Growlithe_ in the _rain_, that was a very risky maneuver, considering it's a fire-type and the rain probably didn't help it very much—,"

"Prof-professor, you're rambling. And I never took the gym badge."

A small pause passed over the phone that delved into the realm of awkward after nearly ten whole seconds went by.

"You…you didn't—that can't be right. Falkner said he made sure you took the badge."

"I didn't. He tried to give it to me, but I…"

She frowned, thinking back, before she jumped, like she'd been shocked.

"Oh, sonuva—don't tell me…"

She dug around in her pockets furiously before producing a tin from one of her pockets she'd never seen before. Lo and behold, she popped it open and the Violet City gym badge sat snuggly inside it. The silver finish gleamed in the light as it caught on the wing-like designs.

"Ho-how did he even get this in my coat?!"

_Sneaky bastard!_

"…I take it you didn't accept it and he forced it on you anyway."

She shoved the tin into her pocket, pinching the bridge of her nose as she adjusted her hold on the pokégear.

"Very. Astute. I'm taking this back, I didn't want it in the first place."

"Falkner was right…you really are stubborn. Most trainers generally don't reject the honour of winning a gym badge."

"Don't—say that, Professor Elm! You can't _say_ that, you barely know me!"

"And you barely know yourself, so that makes two of us."

She scowled, ignoring the concerned whine from Bullet and rattle laugh of Riptide in her other ear. She couldn't argue that, even if she wanted. He was right.

"There was…another reason I was calling," he sighed, his tone changing and it immediately set Lupin on the alert.

"Is…is everything all right?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. I remember you called me about Shirubā the other day and how he had been seen in Violet City, and it reminded me of…well, I think you should head over to the Pokémart before you leave town. You're headed for Azalea Town, correct?"

"Professor, what's wrong?"

"Just—please. Phillip is waiting for you at the Pokémart. He'll explain everything."

Before she knew it, the professor had hung up with a hurried goodbye, and Lupin stared at the pokégear in her hand, stunned and silent. A pawing at her leg reminded her she was still in public and she stirred, stuffing the device back into another coat pocket.

"I…guess we're going to the Pokémart before we skip town."

Bemused and curious, she shouldered her pack more securely before heading down the street. At least it was closer toward the edge of town and on the way out. She listened to Bullet as he reminisced in the city he'd grown up in, while keeping an eye on him as he scuttled to and fro.

"So, why does your professor want us to go to the Pokémart? I thought we got all the supplies we needed last night," the Growlithe finally pressed. Lupin frowned, unsure of how to answer that at first before she sighed and threw up her hands.

"Who knows? He's got a lot on his mind and sometimes he gets…kinda scatterbrained. I'm not saying he's like that all the time, but sometimes…it kinda makes ya wonder."

"If I remember his schedule, he's possibly preparing for a dissertation to get a new grant from his collective research. He's the head of the scientific community here in Johto, and that affords a lot of resources and research opportunities. But in order to maintain that lofty title, he has to show continual progress in his studies."

"You sure know a lot," Bullet chipped in. Riptide regarded the Growlithe once more, and puffed his chest a little more in pride.

"I was in his lab for a long while, and while the other two focused on playing, I wanted to learn more about everything the professor studied. And humans talk so much aloud to us, they forget that we can understand them, even if we can't really communicate with them that well."

"Lupin can understand us."

"That's…different." Lupin interjected. They paused at a crosswalk beside a young man toting around a Pineco in his arms.

"How?"

Lupin opened her mouth to answer, but slowly realized she didn't really have one that she could easily explain. She didn't really even understand how it all worked. She glanced at Riptide from the corner of her eye. "Help?"

He hissed out a sigh.

"Some people can understand pokémon thoroughly like Lupin. It's a rare gift, and only a small percentage of the population are known to shown signs of it. Some researchers insist that it's genetic, as some generations have consecutively shown predispositions to understanding and communicating in full with pokémon. Others, however, have made the ill-conceived argument that it's along the lines of spiritual connections with pokémon. They try to push the dispute that those who are closer to their pokémon than others are able to speak with us." Riptide huffed a little and muttered under his breath before continuing.

"Some wish to conduct tests on young children, however. There's a theory going around that the younger a child is and the more exposed they are to pokémon in their early developmental years, the more likely they are to naturally develop this gift. The less interaction and the older they get, the more likely they are to lose it completely. It's been theorized that the gift is there, always there, even in adult humans, but it's poorly developed, atrophied and weak, and only needs a spark to reawaken it so as to be put to use again."

"Oh, wow. So…if everyone is capable, then…everyone could understand us? If they knew how to use that skill again?" Bullet pressed further. His eyes were wide with a look of quiet astonishment.

"It's only a hypothesis at this point in time," Riptide nodded. "Some are certain that if they exposed children more often than usual, the skill would remain into adulthood, but it still needs stronger evidence to gain any ground. At least, that's what Professor Elm was saying when it came across his desk. It was around the time I first got to the lab, actually."

"Then what about me? I'm an adult."

"You need an adult," the Totodile snorted, ignoring the side-eyed glare Lupin sent him. He rattle-laughed at her and patted her cheek with a paw. "You're more sensitive, I'm guessing, due to your…inhuman nature. You're closer to wild things than humans are. Ergo, you can communicate with us more easily than the average person. It's quite possible that it's merely a naturally biological thing for you."

Her glower lessened slightly after he finished, although she wasn't entirely appeased. A blur of movement alerted her, and she looked up to see Bullet sniffing out something ahead of them. He paused by a tree and sniffed it before relieving himself beside it. Riptide rumbled in discontent.

"Must you piss in front of us? Couldn't you have done that in the alley?"

"I'm just marking my territory for the last time, lizard, calm down. I'm probably not going to see Violet City again for a long time."

"_Crocodilian_. I don't do that _tongue_ thing, fur ball—"

Lupin pinched the Totodile's mouth shut with a mild grin thrown Bullet's way. "Aaaaand that's enough out of the peanut gallery for today. We're here. C'mon, let's go see Phillip."

Riptide hissed low in his throat, promising once more to nip at Lupin's ears later on for this.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Needle, use double kick!"

"Riptide, counter with a water gun attack!"

A stream of water jettisoned forward in a powerful gush, slamming into the charging Nidoran . The attack left the poison pin pokémon down for the count, and its trainer staring in disbelief across the road. Several seconds ticked by before the young boy jumped into action, skittering across the road toward his unconscious pokémon.

"Oh, man, that was intense. You did a good job, Needle, we'll get you healed up at camp later." To Lupin, he turned with a wide grin after recalling the Nidoran . "You were incredible. Your Totodile's really strong!"

Riptide lifted his snout into the air smugly, puffing his chest out as he balanced on his hind legs. Lupin eyed him for a moment with a faint smile before turning to the other trainer. "Yeah, he's something, all right. Is your Nidoran gonna be okay?"

"Aw, Needle will be fine. He's got tough skin," the kid grinned again, and it was more evident that he was missing one of his teeth. "Oh, right. Sorry, I never introduced myself. Name's Roland. I'm out here with my troop camping for a few weeks."

"I ran into a few of them further down the road, I think," Lupin answered, remembering the young girls and boys that were smattered here and there through Route Thirty-Two. They were all in scout uniforms, just like Roland, perfect for outdoor activities.

"A couple miles toward Violet City, right?"

"Yeah, just about," Lupin said with a frown. "Isn't your…I dunno, troop leader, I guess, supposed to keep you guys together or…?"

Roland grinned a third time and laughed. "We're a little more prepared than the average camper, lady! We got our pokémon! Most we encounter in this area are Mareep herds, and there are plenty of Wooper, Hoppip and Rattata too. There's a lot of Ekans around here as well, so be careful. You got plenty of antidotes, right?"

"Sure, yeah. You be careful and just…try to not get hurt, yeah?"

"Oh, we are, don't you worry. Take care, lady, and thanks for the battle," Roland said, waving to her as he started down the way Lupin had just come.

She stared after the young boy until he disappeared around a curve in the road before turning back to face south again. The land seemed to slope further down the farther they went, and now that they were above the break in trees on the road, Lupin could see that they were entering a small valley. In the far distance, a train suddenly snaked into view, winking silver in the sunlight as it sped along. It quickly disappeared behind hills and trees, but its horn was loud and resonant as it sounded off, even from miles away.

"The Magnet Train," Riptide breathed. "It's supposed to connect between Goldenrod here in Johto to Saffron over in Kanto."

"Is there any other stations in between?"

"No. Not that I know of. I think it moves too fast to be able to slow down for interim stops."

"How fast can it move? It was there and gone before we could blink," Bullet yipped, staring between where it had first appeared, to where it had disappeared.

"I don't know. Very fast," Riptide sighed heavily, nodding toward the valley below. He noticed the shimmer of a river and lake, and if he strained, he could make out docks and cottages alongside the shore. Fishermen, most likely, he quietly concluded. "We're wasting daylight. We should try to get down there before it gets too dark."

The road took them straight to the valley floor with little fanfare or surprises, and just as they were pitching camp, the sun was slowly beginning to disappear behind the trees. The balmy weather seemed to remain, even as the sun soon disappeared beyond the horizon and a fire was sparked for the night. She allowed dinner to slowly cook as she finished setting the tent up and stowing her things away inside. Riptide found a nearby small pond to swim in, leaving Bullet by the campfire with Lupin.

He noticed when it had grown too quiet and looked to find Lupin playing with a bracelet over her wrist again. It glimmered faintly in the firelight, the orange and yellow glow playing on the metal band. It looked as though separate pieces had been tightly coiled and braided together and woven into a bangle, yet it was mellow and appeasing to the eye, nothing gaudy or overtly overcompensating. There weren't any jewels, it was all white gold. He whined at her and she stopped twirling the bangle for a moment, looking at him, then at his empty dish.

"You still hungry?"

"No. Well, yes, I am, but…are you okay? You…you haven't really been yourself. Not since we left Violet City…"

She stared at him, looking torn, as though she wanted to say one thing, but had thought better of it. She looked away and back into the crackling flames. Her other hand began twirling the bangle once again, picking along the grooves and knots of the metal design.

"I…I dunno. Maybe? Or no. I'm not sure anymore. It's just…" She glanced up suddenly, looking to and fro, as though searching the forest around them for unwelcome eavesdroppers. The wolfish ears propped upon her ear twitched and swiveled, and Bullet's did the same, although he was unsure of what _he_ was listening for. Her focus returned to the fire pit again.

"I thought I could trust the professor, is all. I mean, I do. But…he took something from me. He took…_this_. I didn't even know it existed until he had Phillip bring it back, and…I can understand he was trying to act altruistically with helping me. He's helped me plenty and I'm grateful. But he…took this from me." She rattled the bangle on her wrist. "He was trying to…see if any known jewelers had made it for me, or someone put in a similar order perhaps track me down that way, and I get it. I do. I just…wish he'd asked first instead of just doing it."

"Maybe he meant to and he forgot?" Bullet inputted, inching closer toward her. She didn't look at him, but her lips pursed tightly together and her brow pinched close together. The eye visible to him was flashing clear yellow, reflecting the fire's light in it. It reminded him of fire itself and he thought how pretty it looked on her.

"I…I dunno anymore. I didn't want to say anything in front of Riptide. He really looks up to the professor. I'm not saying he's a bad man. Maybe he _did_ forget. I just…kind of wish he didn't just take this from me without asking, though. I'm surprised he didn't take everything else and do the same thing. Like my knives or my dog tags."

"Dog tags?" Bullet echoed.

Lupin moved at last, her eye flicking to glance at him while her hand stopped worrying the bangle on her wrist. She slowly reached for a beaded chain around her neck. He's noticed it before, but had never seen what was on the end of it until now. Flat metal dangled at the end, rimmed by black rubber and he could see there were indents in them, like scratches.

"This is the only reason why I know my name. Or at least I hope is my name. For now, it's all I've got on identity for myself. Name, birthday, and a rank for some reason." She shrugged and slid the pendant back under her shirt with an annoyed sigh. "All useless unless it turns into a map or an address telling me where to go. I had nothing in my wallet, and my Book isn't worth a damn either. It spouts off about…creatures and-and things I've never even heard of, except for what _I_ am and it sure as hell isn't human or pokémon, or anything in-between. That's why I look like _this_."

She waved her hand in the vague direction of herself, and he knew what she meant: her tail and ears, both plain as day—or night, in this case—but always hidden from immediate sight. All it took was a long coat and a simple hat.

He stared at her, unsure of how to respond or maybe he wasn't supposed to. He settled closer to her, resting his head on her thigh and she dug her fingers through his fur. It didn't hurt when she combed through anymore. His fur was no longer matted and tangled like it used to be. He had her to thank for that. He had a lot to thank her for, like registering him as her pokémon instead of leaving him alone. Or she could have left him at the mercy of pokémon catchers like the ones that had come for him before. He missed his old trainer. Benjamin had been good to him, even if they didn't live in a home. But he didn't live in a home now either, but this was a different freedom. He was grateful for it.

The least he could do was comfort his new trainer, the same way he'd try to comfort his old one.

She said nothing more and neither did he, but the silence stretched on somewhat comfortably between them. Occasionally she'd worry at the bangle, twirling it over scarred wrists, and he briefly wondered what had happened to her. He was afraid of asking, though. They looked like burn scars.

Riptide returned not long after they had both lapsed into silence, still dribbling water as he lay close to the fire to dry off. Fire gleamed off his scales dully, yellow against blue, orange against red, while his eyes seemed to glimmer even brighter than ever. The sky was dark, leaving the fire the only light source around them. Not too far off, they could hear the soft gurgle of brook somewhere close by, perhaps the very same that fed into the pond Riptide had been lazing about in.

Shortly after his return, they tucked in for the night, resting up for the next leg in their journey to Azalea.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"What's wrong with a Magikarp? I thought it evolved into that powerhouse, Gyarados."

"Yes, true. Magikarp does evolve into Gyarados. But it's also a weakling pokémon. It's difficult to train _because_ it's so weak. It gets swept downstream by even the lightest of currents all the time. The best you can do is throw it at a daycare provider and have them raise it, or else you'll be burying a useless fish corpse before we even make it out of Union Cave. It's not even worth eating, they barely have any meat on them."

Riptide hissed and croaked in disgust while Lupin only frowned as she sat on the bank of river. A fishing pole sat in her hands, a gift given by a rather generous fisherman near the river docks they'd passed. "You're so _picky_ with teammates. You wouldn't accept Slate on the team—"

"Murderous rock snake."

"You barely got along with Syd—"

"Birdbrain."

"And you still pick on Bullet!"

"Dunderheaded thief."

"_Hey_!" The Growlithe barked resentfully.

"Riptide, _enough_. I don't know how many times I've told you to stop being such a smarmy little jerk to everyone. Just because you're smarter than most people, doesn't mean you get to treat them like crap. Seriously. Do you _want_ me to keep you in your pokéball all the time and hardly ever let you out? Because that can be arranged real quick, real easy."

She glowered at the Totodile at her side, ears pinned tightly against her head. Riptide stared at her in return, taken aback.

"_I_ think you should," Bullet muttered on the other side of Lupin.

There was a tense moment that passed between them all, one that practically electrified the air.

"Either you start putting a filter on that mouth of yours, or its travel time in the pokéball. Your choice."

"Fish."

"That…that's not an option. And I'm not going to back down from this, I mean it—,"

"No, I meant you have a fish nibbling on your line. You're going to lose it if you don't reel it in."

"What the—oh, oh! No, no, no, fishy, don't go, I just want to catch you, c'mon little Magikarp—there you are—and don't you think I've forgotten about this, Riptide, I swear to whatever passes as holy in this place, I haven't!"

"Says the amnesiac, with a lost look on her face."

"Oh, for fuck's sake!"

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Hey, there, pretty lady! How ya doing today?"

Lupin eyed the skinny blond man blocking her path on the road, a loiterer no doubt. He was wrapped in a form-fitting trench coat and grubby, dark travel clothes, a pack slung carelessly by a strap on one shoulder. A rough-looking Meowth slunk around his legs, purring incessantly. Riptide glowered at the scratch pokémon and Bullet bristled, growling quietly. The Meowth paid neither of them any mind, its yellow eyes narrowed and focused on Lupin instead.

"I see you've been on the road for a little while, probably hungry, right? Well, little lady, I got me some really good food for sale, and at a pretty low price. "

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to pass that up."

"Oh, you haven't even seen the product yet! It'll stave away hunger for some time and it's _quite_ delicious, if I can say so myself. What do ya say? Care to cash in on some of this Slowpoke Tail I got? It's only nine-hundred ninety-nine thousand yen. What a deal, right? I mean, of _course_ it is! Usually, they run for a couple hundred thousand each!"

He grinned wider at the werewolf, unfazed by the glower she sent him, although he flinched at the deep-throated bark Bullet sent him. The Meowth yowled in surprise and hissed back, scruffy fur standing on end and tail puffing up in annoyance. Riptide hissed back, finally startling the man from his greedy stupor.

"Step. Aside. I'm not interested."

"Sheesh. Broke, much? Fine. Move along. C'mon, Shiner. Let's go."

His demeanor changed entirely, but Lupin was already stepping past him, unperturbed. When they were well out earshot, Lupin glanced at the Totodile on her shoulder.

"Slowpoke tails?"

"Black market foods. It was considered a delicacy a long time ago, before it was outlawed here in Johto and Kanto years ago. I'm not sure if it was in the other regions, though."

"…there's a black market on food here?" Lupin found that a little hard to believe. Riptide huffed.

"There is when it involves chopping off the tails of living pokémon, then throwing the mutilated creatures back to the wilds to bleed to death."

"What?! That's _horrible_! Who would _do_ that to pokémon?" Bullet yelped, ears pressing to his head in dismay.

"Poachers," Lupin provided. Riptide nodded glumly.

"There are some who still hunt down wild Feraligatr to skin them for their scales and crests. Our hides used to fetch a high price several hundred years ago. They still do, although more people are spiriting away wild pokémon to sell in an underground battling black market nowadays. They sell strong pokémon to the highest bidder, completely ignoring whether that person will care for their newly won prize, or if they even have the right stuff to handle a potentially dangerous pokémon or not. All they care about is the money. And that doesn't mean there aren't people out there who still indulge in eating pokémon…or parts of them, anyway. Shellder harvesting, for example, was outlawed almost thirty years ago because they were becoming an endangered species, yet rich froufrou humans still enjoy sucking the meat out of their shells these days..."

"…just how much about this stuff do you _know_ about?"

"The professor, of course. He's an avid protestor against pokémon cruelty and doesn't hesitate in swinging his weight around when it involves shutting down poacher and black marker sales operations. I'm sure he'd be interested in knowing that someone is taking it upon themselves to act as a sales vendor out here for Slowpoke tails."

He enunciated his last words, tilting his head to peer at Lupin critically, his crooked grin seemingly twisted upwards even more. His yellow-red eyes gleamed knowingly and she took that as a cue to pull out her pokégear and dial the professor's number. Bullet cast a glance over his shoulder where the skinny man had been lurking on the road and growled.

Riptide rattle-laughed.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Welcome to Route Thirty-Two's Pokemon Center, ma'am! How're you and your team feeling today?"

_Another Nurse Joy? Are they clones or something?_

Despite her reserved thoughts, Lupin smiled nonetheless back at the pink-haired woman, offering the tray to her. Two pokéballs were nestled in it.

"We just need a quick boost before hitting Union Cave."

"Not at all! We see a lot of traffic coming through here, especially at this time of the year. In fact, quite a number went through just the other day. It's a great training ground for trainers," Nurse Joy exclaimed with a smile, taking the tray. After pausing to scan Lupin's trainer card, she turned to the machine behind the lobby desk and slid the tray into a compartment with a Plexiglas cover. Sliding it shut, she pressed a few buttons on a keypad. The machine hummed and a screen facing outboard from the wall showed Riptide and Bullet's information under a picture of each of them.

"Hey, Nurse Joy, I had a question. Why is it that registered trainers get free healings like this, but everyone else has to pay?"

"Each trainer is registered under the Pokémon League, young or old. This machine shouldn't cost anything to heal your pokémon if they're already in good condition while you're registered under a league. Any further service, such as severe mutilation, mauling, stitches, or prolonged sicknesses requires a payment. And your records show you previously had a lab tech assistant license. You had to pay for things like this when you still had it, correct?"

"Well, yes…"

Nurse Joy smiled at her. "If you had a breeder's license, instead of a training license, you'd also be subjected to a payment, although you'd probably have to pay less than what you did when you were a lab assistant, for example. It all depends on what you're licensed for." She paused when the machine behind her dinged and she turned back to fetch the tray. "However, all pokémon centers also accept donations. Every little bit helps, especially when it goes to the upkeep, maintenance, medicine, and other supplies used to help heal pokémon."

Lupin considered her words, briefly, before pulling out her wallet and producing a few bills to the other woman. Nurse Joy accepted it and gave a small bow with her head.

"Thank you for your donation! And your pokémon are at full health. Please be careful as you head through the cave. There are some Onix and Zubat present and they can be a little tricky sometimes."

The werewolf left the center with those words ringing in her ears, blinking into the harsh afternoon sun. Releasing Riptide and Bullet, she stooped to pick up the Totodile, but he slid from her grip and waved her off with a paw.

"No, no. I need to start walking on my own. I'll be too big for your shoulders soon, in case you haven't noticed. I've crested."

She gave him a boggled stare, and he sighed before motioning to his head with a stubby paw.

"My skull. Noticed anything different?"

It took her a moment, but it became apparent after she stared for several long seconds.

"Oh! You—that red horn, it wasn't there before!"

"Crest," Riptide corrected sharply. "I'll evolve soon and I need to build more strength in my legs. I can't afford to be carried around anymore or I won't have as easy a time running around as a Croconaw." He turned, his tail dragging while he wobbled further down the road. It was longer now than several weeks ago, Lupin noted. And his front arms weren't as stubby anymore, either. Bullet trotted alongside the Totodile, looking smugly at the gator.

"Not so easy down here, now, is it?"

"Shut it, fuzzball, or I'll soak you to the bone with a water gun." Riptide grumbled back with a hiss.

"Shutting up now," Bullet quickly replied, scurrying ahead with a wag to his tail. "C'mon, we're losing daylight; we don't wanna be stuck in this cave overnight!"

Lupin watched the Growlithe shortly, then turned to Riptide.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?"

"I'll be fine. But he's right, you know. We don't want to be stuck in a cave all night, especially when the Zubat start stirring up and causing all sorts of confusion tactics to trip us up. Nasty little flying rats…"

With that said, he jerked his head forward and waddled forward, his steps less wobbly the longer he went. Lupin paced beside him, her hand slowly drifting up to worry at the bangle on her wrist. Riptide watched on occasion from the corner of his eye. A part of him wanted to speak up about it. Another worried what she'd say if he did.

He knew about the bangle, and the professor's attempts to help. He also remembered the professor trying to identify her once they were certain she was breathing the night they pulled her out of the water. So much had happened in such a little time frame that it all seemed like a distant, fuzzy memory. And yet at the same time, he could recall it with such clarity, it hurt more now than it did back then. Especially since he knew and cared about her.

So he continued to say nothing, unsure of how to proceed. Perhaps he'd talk to her later that night when they had less traveling to focus on, especially once they were through Union Cave.

That seemed like a solid plan.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	22. Chapter Twenty-One: Burned

**Chapter Twenty-One:****  
****Burned**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note_****: I'm taking some liberties here with this story by adding in anime or movie-only locations, mainly to put in some more meat on my story. Not to say that games didn't have any substance at all, but when there's multi-media to work with (books, films, games, etc.) I like mixing it a bit. With that said, I won't add every anime or movie-only location to the story. Some may be mentioned, but a majority won't be visited, most likely and major game locations will ALL be visited. :P**

**And another round of thank yous to those who favorited or liked or reviewed the story! I appreciate it so much! :D**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Being willing is not enough, we must do."  
_**-Leonardo de Vinci**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The canyon air was arid and hot, slivers of shimmering heat waves rising up in the distance and creating dancing illusions to the naked eye. The rush of an engorged river could be heard not much further ahead, somewhat giving the air quality a spark of hope in the semi-barren environment. All of that however, was all a faint concern, if even that, at the current moment.

No, the more current and abrupt one was leering down and rumbling away like thunder right at Lupin and her two pokémon.

"I blame you," Riptide remarked plainly, his yellow-red eyes never leaving the sneering draconic being towering over them. Lupin didn't dare avert her gaze, either. Bullet's voice was lost in his throat, but his body was stiff and unyielding, every inch of fur on him standing on end in silent defiance. Riptide scarcely breathed himself. He may be a water-type, through and through, but a fully-grown Charizard was on an entirely different level than he was at the moment, both literally and figuratively. Even if he went on the offense, the most he'd do is piss the flame pokémon off, right before being turned into a piece of Totodile barbeque, with a side of Growlithe and werewolf to add to the entrée.

"Rip…please shut up, unless you've got a better idea," Lupin hissed back.

"Regardless of whether I have a plan or not, I still blame you. Oh, why _yes_, we _should_ go to a valley filled to the brim with fire-breathing dragons! Brilliant idea! What could _possibly_ go wrong?" He snarled quietly. The Charizard exhaled heavily through his nostrils, spreading a wave of heat over them.

"_Silence_," the draconic being thundered at the trio. The sunlight glinted off his fangs, most stained yellow at the roots from age as he flashed them. "You realize you are trespassing on territory that belongs to our kind, don't you?"

Bullet shuddered at the Charizard's deep and grating voice, like rocks grinding against one another. Lupin felt like her limbs were both lead weights and electrified with pent-up energy, just waiting for the right moment to release it all. Dark blue eyes continued to study them, any emotion hidden behind a mask of indifference and coldness. They honed in on Lupin when she finally kicked herself into gear, pushing back up to her feet and dusting herself off. She kept her movements slow and deliberate, her eyes locked on the Charizard.

"I was under the impression that the Charicific Valley was open to the public for visits during the spring and summer seasons. Or am I getting the wrong information?"

The Charizard considered her for a long moment that was steeped in utter silence. The sun continued to beat down on them all. Perhaps, at another point in time, Riptide would have enjoyed it but this was not that time. Bullet slowly shuffled closer toward him until they were pressed up to one another. For once, he didn't complain at the invasion of space.

"You're not completely wrong," the flame pokémon relented at long last. His muzzled pulled into a slight snarl. "But even if it was open, you have no method to get there. Our caretaker is indisposed of and cannot ferry anyone into the valley. Now return to the route you came from."

The creature remained stone still, watching the three carefully. Lupin remained where she was. The Charizard growled in faint annoyance when she continued to not heed him.

"I said _go back._"

"How far is it?"

"You cannot walk there, if that is what you are thinking. You must fly most of the way. It is further down the river and in the middle of a lake. And you have no flying types to carry you in, regardless."

"And I'm guessing that asking for a ride would be an insult."

"You assume correctly," he continued, canting his head to the side. "But I smell a proposal, yes?"

He eyed Riptide and Bullet as he said this, licking his chops. Lupin took a side step, firmly planting herself between her pokémon and the Charizard.

"They are not on the menu or involved in any proposal I may have." She thought for a moment, watching the large beast before her with a critical eye. He was about as large as Professor Oak's Charizard, Champ, if not a little bigger. Rusty orange scales, defined musculature, lofty height, powerful wings. He was an apex predator; she had no doubt about that. Her eyes strayed to the long tail draped behind him on the dusty ground. The last foot or so of his tail, she noticed, it was darker than the rest of his body and was doused completely in fire. It never wavered or went further up.

She stared into the flames for a long minute, before it hit her. She flicked her eyes back up to the Charizard's face to meet his steadfast gaze and she smiled. Riptide stared at his trainer's backside, trying to discern what she had in mind before it hit him like a smack between the eyes.

"Lupin. Lupin, no. Anything but that."

"What, what's she going to do?"

"Lupin, _no_!"

"I can handle this, just…trust me. And…step back a bit, it might get a bit…_hot_."

The Charizard canted his head a little more, a gleam of greedy interest sparking up in his eyes. Lupin turned back to him once more, hands slowly moving to rest squarely on her hips.

"I do have _one_ proposal…if you think you got what it takes to tackle it head on."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"You're insane. I'm calling it. You're being committed and I will sit and laugh outside your ward when they wheel you off in a straightjacket, strapped down to a gurney."

"I'm not _insane_. Just inventive and creative in ideas that most people wouldn't label as normal methods."

"No sane person allows themselves to be set on fire, let alone asks a Charizard to do it for them!"

Riptide hissed, discontented and upset, as he trudged along at a purposeful slow pace after Lupin. She proceeded to ignore his pouting; following along the trail they had been told to follow by the Charizard they had met earlier. He had carried them as far as this footpath before dumping them onto it. Bullet kept at Riptide's side this time in lieu of hers, a mixture of feelings rumbling about inside his head.

"You never told me she was like a fire-type. Is she really a pokémon in disguise?" He sounded doubtful as he posed the inquiry, but Riptide could understand him wanting to make sure, to an extent.

The Totodile shook his head. "She's not human, but she's certainly not a pokémon. She doesn't smell anything like our kind."

She smelled like freshly burning embers and of lingering fresh wood smoke. She smelled like a deep forest's secrets, of silver moonlight and dark nights. She was both a source of light and a creature of darkness, a contradiction by all rights. She had fire inside her, but she lurked in the shadows. He was still figuring her out, even now, and that was hard when she didn't even know herself. He sighed, as though in defeat, realizing any rebukes, criticism, or snippy remarks he launched at her would more or less be ignored when it came to her strange abilities themselves.

"…she's not human, but she's still a decent person. Even if she is insane and fireproof and…_amnesiac_," he relented, glancing at the Growlithe padding alongside him. "You realized from the first time you caught her scent that she wasn't entirely human. This is just one other aspect of her you've found out. You still have a choice of whether you want to stay or go."

Bullet turned away to gaze at the backside of his trainer, silent and musing as they traipsed along the thin track inside a little gorge. The walls pressed in tightly around them, while a strip of river snaked alongside their footpath. Above, the Charizard who had flown them in followed at a slow pace, watching them from above.

"A little further, around the bend," he called down. The minutes passed and soon, they came to the aforementioned curve and the footpath opened to a wider strip with more room to walk along. The river poured into a penned in lake hidden by cliff walls and the water gleamed under the sun, winking brightly at them. They headed toward a steep staircase, where an archaic stone carving of a giant Charizard loomed menacingly over the top of the steps. Beneath the carving, a thick, solid door stood closed. Beyond the stone walls and wooden door, the screams and howls of giants at war rang clearly, echoing off the stony crags surrounding them.

The Charizard bellowed out, twisting into a dive toward the top of the stairs, flaring his wings at the last moment to land. Lupin hefted her pack and glanced back at her pokémon, beaming at them. Bullet wagged his tail a little in response.

"She's good people. She was one of the few who actually cared to look at me and not see a dirty street mutt." A slight smile tugged at his black lips. "She reminds me of Benjamin sometimes."

"Your…other trainer," Riptide quietly surmised. Bullet dipped his head into a nod.

"Yeah. Before…before we lost our home…and we had to live on the streets, when he still moved around and could kind of remember things, he…he still liked to help people, where he could. That was before he started getting sick and could barely remember anything. Except for me, that is…"

Riptide lapsed into another period of silence as they mounted the steps. Bullet went slower, as did Lupin, waiting at intervals on the steps for the both of them. She offered to help, but the Totodile waved her off with a stubby paw. "I need this. Let me do this."

She continued to hover, but she understood not to interfere. When they reached the apex of the steps, the Charizard waiting for them turned toward the door and slammed his tail into it. Embers flew into the air on impact, glittering and then gone within seconds. He repeated twice more before anything happened. The wood creaked and protested, but it slowly cracked open, swinging inward to reveal the innards of the Charicific Valley.

"As I've mentioned…our caretaker is not among us and isn't due back for another half-moon's time."

"Two weeks?" Lupin guessed. The massive flame pokémon shrugged his shoulders.

"Your measurements. Not ours. But yes." He turned toward the fully extended doorway, inhaling deeply as the sight of other massive, rusty orange bodies littered the entrance. Some were sleeping, a few were grappling with one another, and others stood on the sidelines, watching. A few were hanging off the crags of the steep, vertical precipices high up above them, watching the ground activity. Quite a number of Charizard were gliding in and out of cubby holes and niches in the stony hills.

"Welcome to the Charicific Valley."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The Charizard who had escorted them into the Charicific Valley had introduced himself as Ridgeback. And Ridgeback, it was revealed rather quickly, was not the largest one, by far. There were some smaller than him and then there were the giants who were a good head over him. The valley echoed with the voices of every battling beast, bouncing off the walls and creating a cacophonous symphony of roars, howls, growls, bellows, squawks, squeals, hisses and more.

Riptide and Bullet kept close to their trainer, not entirely afraid, but still somewhat nervous to be among giants such as these.

"I kinda wish I was an Arcanine sometimes. Then I wouldn't feel so small," Bullet confessed as he skirted around one sleeping giant. Its breath rumbled deeply in its chest as it continued to snooze away, unperturbed by the visitors. Riptide had to softly agree. Being among his parents was one thing. These fire-breathing behemoths were quite another. Bullet would be fine, more or less, yes. He was just as fireproof as Lupin was. But he had some risk of becoming a roasted little Totodile, water-type advantage or no. And if that didn't do it, then a quick crunch of their jaws, smack of their tail, or stomp of their feet would do the trick.

He traipsed after Lupin on slightly wobbly legs, uttering a sibilant hiss when a smaller Charizard glanced his way.

"I must admit…you are strange. We have not had a trainer come through here that smelled quite like you."

"I get that a lot these days," Lupin replied to their impromptu tour guide. One thing Riptide had to give to Lupin: she was damn near fearless. She had stood in the flaming vortex the Charizard doused her in for several long minutes and emerged unscathed. When he claimed her coat was somehow protecting her and demanded a repeat, she stripped of it, and…

Now that he thought about it, Ridgeback had looked rather…taken aback for several moments. He had been staring at Lupin's shoulders and arms, at the scars that decorated what exposed flesh there was. But regardless, the second time around revealed the same results and Lupin had won her wager with the young flame pokémon: one impossibly death-defying act for an exchange of passage to and from the Charicific Valley.

Admittedly, she cheated a little. But it got them a ride.

"You smell like fire. Not mine, but of your own heart fire." Ridgeback continued, dipping his head down to her height. He inhaled deeply, his lips peeling back against his fangs and he shuddered all over. The flames on his tail climbed higher, if only for a second, before settling. The Charizard's blue eyes narrowed to slits. "You cheated."

And there it was. Couldn't hide it for long. Riptide bumped Bullet with his snout and the puppy pokémon lurched forward, his hackles bristling. He circled around Lupin's other side, muscles coiled and ready to spring.

"I…uh…erm…"

The tension held for several long seconds. Ridgeback's lips slowly peeled further back until it was almost a smile and he tossed his head back with a chuffing laugh. "A fellow flame walker! I am sure Liza would have liked you, if she were here to see."

The break in the proverbial ice was a relief. Bullet relaxed visibly. Riptide waited, not quite convinced until Ridgeback turned and motioned for the three of them to follow.

"The valley is our home. We train, sleep, eat, breed, and sometimes pass into the next world in this place. Most of us were born of the valley; others have traveled far to roost here. We have seen many intrepid visitors, both benign and malignant."

"I'm guessing that was why you were all menacing and whatnot back at the canyon?" Lupin inquired cautiously. Ridgeback peered at her with a critical blue eye.

"We have had many a thief sneak away into our home and rob our nests or plunder our bodies for…Liza called it a 'quick buck'. They would mean to sell us, living or dead. It has not happened in a while, but it is still an occurrence. We protect our own now and she helps."

"Liza's the caretaker that's away for another two weeks, yes?"

The Charizard growled quietly in agreement. They passed under a stone arch, rounding a bend until they came to another portion of the valley. The ground itself was a deeper depression in the stone, having been worn away. It was pitted and smoking, the ground blackened and scorched from fire. Some rocks and boulders that had been hit before were glowing, the fires inside still going. Impact fissures snaked along the ground, but the real attraction was dancing in the air, throwing plumes of fire all over. A stream of it came close, alighting the ground once again as two Charizard tussled in midair. One managed to break free of the other's grip and twisted around to gain the upper hand, grappling with longer limbs, crushing a wing down to throw them off balance. The grappler dove straight down, pinning the other in a harsh grip. They bellowed as they plummeted and at the last moment, the grappler released its hold, shoving the one its arms forcefully to the ground, pulling up as it went.

A howl of triumph bounced off the stony walls surrounding them, while the one tossed so callously to the earth got up slowly, shaking dust and pebbles off its frame.

"Cripple wing! Learn to fly before you come back up here or I'll teach you a more painful lesson next time!" The one in the air jeered as it passed overhead, twisting to swoop out the way Lupin and the others had come. Ridgeback watched with the same mask he'd worn earlier and turned only when he heard a small whimper from the other.

"You shouldn't be fighting if your wing is still healing, Stone Claw. Go see the elders, have them help look you over. _Now_."

The other looked ready to argue, but a heavy snarl from Ridgeback made quick work to dissuade the idea. Stone Claw gingerly tucked his injured wing close to his body and marched off the pockmarked battlefield, the ground trembling in his wake as he went. His head remained low as he passed, refusing to make eye contact with neither trainer nor pokémon as he passed.

"If he does not heal properly, he will be grounded even longer. Perhaps permanently. It is a disgraceful thing to have wings and not being able to fly. He's been pushing himself too hard and much too soon since his accident. He'll break it again if he doesn't lessen his training."

"Ouch. I don't think I'd like having wings and not being able to use them. That's like being a bird and being flightless." Bullet replied, ears folding back in sympathy. He watched the Charizard as he plodded away, his head still hanging as he disappeared around the corner from sight. Ridgeback snorted and motioned with a claw for them to follow. They did so, back the same trail they had come down.

"Come. Liza's home was always welcome to travelers. It is still a haven, even if she is not here. You can rest there for the night."

"About that…hold on, Ridgeback." Lupin paused in her trek, stooping to Riptide and Bullet's level. "What do you guys say? You wanna stay the night, or do you want to get back to Route Thirty-Two?"

She waited, her mismatched eyes switching between the two of them attentively. Ridgeback remained poised further down the trail, his tail burning away the shadows under the arch surrounding them. There was a lull in the sparring noises of the other Charizard, giving them all a moment of respite from the dissonant noise.

"We saw the valley and the Charizard. I didn't come here in the hopes to catch one, I just…I kinda just wanted to see and visit. And we did that. If you guys wanna go, just say the word."

Bullet exchanged a look with Riptide, a quiet kind of understanding passing between them. The puppy pokémon lolled his tongue out, giving off one of his signature doggy grins.

"Aw, it's not so bad. I thought they were gonna try to eat us, but they don't seem all that interested. I guess we could stay and catch a ride in the morning, right?"

Riptide bowed his head in agreement. "I was a bit reserved about the idea of coming here, but…I suppose it wasn't the fire-filled nightmare I was expecting. One night wouldn't hurt us. We'll have an actual shelter to use, at the very least."

Her smile was small, but it was relieved and pleased. She pivoted back up onto her feet and toward the Charizard waiting patiently for them.

"We're good to go over here. Show us the way, Ridgeback."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Liza's abode was a simple, but roomy cabin near the entrance to the Charicific Valley. It was well furnished, and most walls were aligned with photographs of a woman—presumably Liza herself—in various settings, most including the Charizard of the valley. She was perhaps around Lupin's age, with dark cobalt eyes and green hair, a lean and athletic build, donning a myriad of casual or riding gear clothing. A worn out saddle was hung and displayed on one such wall, straps tucked neatly away and the leather was cracked with age. It was the perfect size for a fully grown Charizard. There were also framed awards, letters of appreciation, and certificates proudly displayed, each garnished with Liza's positive actions, deeds, and accredited ventures. She was impressively accomplished.

"It smells like those Charizard in here," Bullet remarked off-handedly as Lupin explored. With each inhalation, he was given a heady scent of the draconic beings time and again. "It's not so bad, once you get used to it."

"I prefer the scent of a fresh river to that of a charred, ash and sulfur-infused landscape, thank you," Riptide said, tipping his nose into the air to sniff. "And it's not as bad in here as it is out there."

"Yeah, about that, I smelled it too. Do you think they're on top of an active volcano or near one?"

"I'm not sure. There was little mention of anything going on with the Charicific Valley that passed along into the lab, not much that I really heard of when I was there, anyway. Except, of course, that they are some of the strongest wild pokémon you'll ever encounter in the Johto-Kanto regions. They constantly train to push themselves to the limit. Anyone who tries to steal from them is an idiot."

"Yeah, but…you heard Ridgeback. People have _killed_ some of the Charizard that lived here. Or captured them for whatever black markets you told us about the other day," Bullet said, casting a look toward the front door. "Anyone who can do that must have some pretty strong pokémon on _their_ side."

The Totodile had to concede to Bullet's point. He was right. Anyone who can take on even one Charizard in this valley was crazy enough. Anyone who could walk away with one of their eggs or even a Charizard's carcass was even more so. Riptide felt a shudder ripple up his spine at the thought. Pushing it all aside, he followed after Lupin, Bullet close on his heels, exploring the modest but cozy cabin.

"Plenty of living space. I can see why she offers rooms to guests," the werewolf called over her shoulder as they passed into a hallway. The floors were well worn from years of being trekked over, yet they were well cared for and clean. Lupin paused at one door, opening it and gave a faint sniff.

"Lots of different scent marks here. Guest room."

She flicked on the lights, more for the convenience of her pokémon than herself and took it in briefly. The room was practical: four twin-sized beds, two small writing desks, a tall bureau for clothing, and bedside tables with a personal lamp. A few wicker baskets lined with comfy bedding sat around the room, presumably for smaller pokémon. It wasn't too unlike a hotel or Pokémon Center room, looking at it from afar. Stripping her coat and pack, the werewolf sighed, feeling the slight drain of the last few days' travel wearing at her at last. Perhaps a night in a bed would be an ideal rest for the night, instead of another one in a tent on the side of the road. Bullet bounded over to one of the baskets and plopped right into it, shouting, "Mine!"

Riptide snorted and moved toward one of the beds. He couched and leapt, scrabbling up until he was atop the mattress and tilted his nose into the air and declared, "Mine."

Bullet growled. "Not fair."

"Other beds. Take your pick."

Lupin smiled, looking over the room again. The curtains were drawn over the window. She moved to pull them back, only to find a Charizard on the other side, sniffing at the pane. Its breath fogged up the glass and wide sky blue eyes stared at Lupin intently. Long and thin pale scars were crisscrossed all over its snout, making it look like a tic-tac-toe game gone wrong. The Charizard tilted its head, blinking slowly at her and offering a toothy draconic smile.

Slowly, Lupin reached for the window frame and tugged it upwards. The Charizard immediately seized the opportunity to stick its snout up against her before she could ask what it wanted. It inhaled loudly, pushing its head clear into the room and shoving Lupin off-balance as it did so.

"H-Hey, watch it! Get out! Out!"

"Shouldn't have opened the window, then," Riptide remarked. Bullet snickered as Lupin pushed at the moaning flame pokémon toward the opening.

"Just a sniff, just a little one, you smell like a dragon! It smells weird and good all at once!"

Lupin paused at the remark, stunned into silence. The Charizard took advantage of her interlude to press its snout up against her once more. He sniffed more, nudging at her arms and giving light nips, lowing quietly. Hot breath poured over her bare arms as he continued snuffling loudly and at length.

"Dragon but not dragon and heart fire and smoke—oh, you smell like a dog—no, no wait, a _wolf_! I've only seen them once, but you smell like one! You're _weird_, all right, and is that a _tail_ under your coat? Where did you come from—**_GURK_**!"

The Charizard's neck and head was suddenly yanked back out the window it had come through, yowling as another body moved to block the window's view. The window-peeper yelped in pain as the new arrival soundly trounced him in the background, away from view. The strangest part of the exchange was that the other Charizard barely uttered a sound. It was chilling how it did this all in silence. Lupin's fur stood on end, her tail rigid and tense until the cries dwindled to whimpers. The body in front of the window remained still for a long moment, as though it had turned to stone.

She jumped when it finally did move, and a newer face swung into view. This one was larger than the window-peeper's, and immediately set Lupin on edge. While window-peeper's scarred snout was an almost comical look, this one was battled and hardened. Thicker scars were raked across one eye, like claws had done the work, and another one ran up the muzzle at an angle. Mottled pink and knotted scar tissue decorated the back of the long neck, and she could see more across the belly, arms, legs…

Lupin shuddered, ice burrowing itself within her chest and spreading outward toward her extremities at the sight. The blue eyes holding her gaze were dark like thick ice, an unyielding contradiction to his core element. She felt exposed under the larger Charizard's piercing stare, as though it was peering through her rather than right at her. Time was at a crawl in that short time period, but it felt as though more than a few minutes had passed. Hours, weeks, months even, seemed to have crammed themselves into the short period before the Charizard tipped its head in a single nod, turned on its heel and left. The window-peeper was no longer visible, perhaps having taken his leave after his beating from the larger intruder.

Another minute passed before Lupin moved to close the window and closed it.

"He's the biggest one we've seen so far," Riptide said, breaking the silence, staring after the window. Lupin nodded, taking in a careful and measured breath. Her ears twitched under her hat at the rustling where Bullet lay, turning at the noise. He scurried over and she stooped to pick him up, where he immediately rested his head on her shoulder and gave a sniff.

"You don't smell all dragon-y to me. But you do smell like embers. It _is_ weird, but…it's a good kind of weird. Wonder what he was talking about." He pushed back with his paws to peer at her face, head tilting over. He narrowed his eyes at her, as though he were scrutinizing her. "Hmmm. Yeah. You're weird, but…you're the good kind of weird. I can tell."

She laughed when he swiped his rough tongue against her cheek a few times. Riptide watched the exchange from the bed for a short length of time. Lupin finally set the Growlithe down and wiped at her cheek as she offered the room another passing glance. She paused at the sight of something on one of the desks and moved toward it. It turned out to be a sheet of paper and she groaned almost straight away after picking it up and skimming the words.

"Oh, _now_ you tell me!"

"What is it?" Riptide sat up a little more, craning his head uselessly from his spot, as though it would help him peer at the message. Not that that would help either. It was all useless scratches to him.

"A note from Liza." Lupin sighed, waving it. "_'Dear guest or guests, welcome to the Charicific Valley! Feel free to utilize the cabin for your stay, there's plenty of food, hygiene supplies and bedding. If the fridge or pantry is empty, there are additional storage freezers in the back room behind the kitchen. Please ensure that you don't leave any huge messes behind before you leave! Thank you in advance. Regards, Liza.'_"

"That's it?"

"There's a P.S. at the bottom. It says, _'We have one quirky Charizard who enjoys peeping in the guest room windows for reasons we still can't figure out. He's completely harmless, but regardless, please keep the windows closed or he will try to clamber into the room with you. If the window is open and he is there, just call one of the other Charizard and they'll sort him out.'_"

Lupin put the note down back on the desk, sputtering out another sigh.

"Whelp, guess that settles that. No open windows."

"Why would you want an open window with those fire-spitters skulking about, anyway?"

"The air isn't that bad. And it's warm. I kind of like that."

Riptide hummed, somewhat in agreement. Aside from the scent of the place, it was a rather refreshing environment, but it only went so far as the heat. _That_ much he liked.

She didn't press him any further, and neither did he. They explored a little more of the cabin, finding a television mounted to one of the barer walls. Lupin turned it on, mainly for background noise as she moved about the cabin. Food was located and made for all until they settled on a worn but comfortable couch. It felt almost normal, sitting there, watching TV and eating a meal.

The rest of the day passed with little fanfare. They spent the rest of the afternoon outside after lunch, watching as the Charizard napped or flew or fought with one another. A mother passed with her brood, baby Charmander following after her with peeps and croons like little ducklings. Their tiny tails were like candles, bobbing little lanterns as they scuttled over one another toward their destination. A few elder Charmeleon weren't too far behind, rounding up stragglers and paying no mind to the three visitors except for a passing glance or two.

When it began to get dark, most Charizard gathered in groups to bed down for the night. Lupin noticed one Charizard in particular was staring at her and she recognized the crisscrossed scars on his snout. Occasionally he'd fidget his paws and break eye contact to look around, his movements jerky and nervous, as though he was looking for someone. He didn't come any closer and eventually drifted away like the rest to bed down. Only a few sentinels remained alert and awake, patrolling from high precipices or in the air around the valley. Their tails acted as beacons, alerting who was where. Ridgeback found them sitting outside the cabin near sunset as he came sailing in. He addressed them with a deep nod of his head and hesitantly, Lupin returned it with one of her own. The Charizard gave a toothy smile in approval.

"I hope you have enjoyed your stay here?"

"It's definitely a cool place. I can mark it off my map, saying I visited," she said with a faint shrug. Ridgeback hummed back.

"I will be here at first light to escort you back to the canyon entrance. Is that a sufficient time to leave?"

"Sunrise? That sounds fine. It'd be great to get to Azalea Town before sundown tomorrow. Thank you."

"You are most welcome. I shall see you at sunrise, then. Sleep well."

With that, the Charizard bid her a farewell and took to the skies again, speeding away on steady wings. Lupin watched as the flame pokémon left until he was out of sight.

"You guys ready to go to bed or do you wanna stay up for a bit?"

"Can we watch another show? Or a movie? I miss just sitting around like that," Bullet replied, bouncing on his paws. Lupin grinned at him as she opened the door and he sped inside toward the couch.

"Lazy mammal," Riptide muttered, padding along after Lupin inside. She closed the door behind him and chuckled.

"Can't say that when he's practically bouncing off the walls, Rip."

"I can when he passes out after five minutes of snoozing in your lap. And then I'll promptly shove him off so I can soak up some of your warmth."

"Rude," Lupin clucked her tongue at him. He ignored the look she sent him and padded along toward the couch. The rest of the evening passed in a blur, and in the interim, the faint cries of Charizard could be heard. Things settled more as the time passed into the late evening hours and they were all crawling into bed. It felt good to lie on a mattress with a roof over their head rather than a mat in a tent.

The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was setting the alarm and turning over to see a nearly swollen moon peaking up over a cliff. A tiny figure scurried in front of it before disappearing just as she rolled back over to go to sleep.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**Note: (**_**Plays the Jurassic Park theme song in the background**_**) …What? I know someone was thinking of it. I know I was. Pffft.**


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two: Pride

**Chapter Twenty-Two:****  
****Pride**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note_****: Thank again to those who reviewed! I greatly appreciate it! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. :3**

**And I also apologize for the delay, things have been difficult time-wise as of late. BUT! I come bearing good news! One, there is art on my bluescalesandbrokenteeth tumblr account. A very sassy Riptide awaits to be viewed and adored by his loving fans. And, I have gone to a gator ranch in Louisiana! I got an awesome privilege to not only see gators up close and personal—as well as a beautiful Nile Crocodile! ****_Gorgeous_****!—I also got the amazing experience of catching baby gators and handling them! Oh, they were beautiful and feisty little things! Much was learned. :D**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_All your life, other people will try to take your accomplishments away from you. Don't you take it away from yourself."_**  
-Michael Crichton, "****_The Lost World_****"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Sorry for the shady-looking meeting I set up. Seems like a place some mobster would choose and not a dig student, right? Ah, well. I just wanted to make sure I got my bet put in for the race and this was my only week off to come up here. I just can't get enough of these races, especially since Grace is here in Kalos this season."

"No trouble at all. I'm not a stranger to these kinds of places for meetings."

Well, that was mostly true. At least he didn't need full tactical gear this time around. That was partly a relief.

The buzzing of hushed and excited voices resounded in the air around the two men sitting in the bleachers. Some waved little flags with names such as Thunder Horn or Drill Sarge, each rooting for their favourite rider and mount. Alastor's eyes flicked to the race track down below for a moment. The Rhyhorn and their riders were getting restless as they lined up in the gates, waiting for the bell to release them and start the race.

"Right, so, before this gets underway, here. Took me some time, but I found what you asked about a few weeks earlier! Got it all set up for you, too."

"Thanks. I would have gone down to the dig site myself, but I won't be heading that far out west for a while. This is actually as far as I'm going before heading back up into the mountains in the east."

"Oh, the rangers, I'm guessing. That's who you're employed with at the moment, right?"

"More or less, yes, that's right."

It was temporary at best, if he was to be honest, but it wasn't something he was going to announce out loud. The lanky fellow beside him only bobbed his head a few times as he dug into a worn out pack beside him. Moments of rummaging produced a wrapped parcel covered in dust. He smiled nervously, patting it off.

"Ah. Sorry about that. Dig sites. Full of dirt, ya know? Comes with the territory." He said as he unraveled the cloth to produce a pokéball. The red and white finish gleamed in the early morning sunlight. "Here you are. Took a while to get the cloning done, but I can happily declare, it's a healthy boy! You might want to draw up a feeding plan for the future when he gets bigger and evolves. Apex predators have pretty voracious appetites and they only get greater as they grow up."

Alastor nodded, knowing that sentiment all too well. It hit home pretty close and he offered a faint smirk at the irony.

"I think I can handle it for the time being. Thank you again for doing this."

"Not a problem. So, what're you planning on doing with it?"

"He'll be a present for someone. She'll love him, I'm sure."

"Oooh, a lucky lady?" A sly grin spread on the other's face.

"My wife."

"Oh, my. _Very_ lucky indeed. I'm betting if she can handle this little guy, she has no problems with you!"

The werewolf felt another smile briefly tug at the corner of his lips as he gave a nod. Oh, the irony that was loaded into that comment, and the dig student beside him had no idea. "You could say that."

He minimized the pokéball and deposited it into his own pack lying at his feet. A huff of air to his other side drew his gaze to a dark furred Houndoom lying on the bench. Garnet eyes were trained on the race track, but they diverted to meet Alastor's gaze for a brief moment.

"What? You know she'd like this."

"Your woman has seven fire breathing flying lizards back home," the dark pokémon pointed out with another snort. His dark lips curled into a vague smile, white teeth glinting as the feeble sunlight caught on them. "I don't think getting her an old fossil is an apt enough apology for taking so long in finding her."

Alastor promptly ignored the light barb and fished out an envelope from another pocket in his pack. The man beside him went rigid suddenly when a klaxon of bells sounded off and an announcer over the PA began a rushed dialect of the race that had just begun. As soon as the Rhyhorn left their gates, Alastor no longer existed. His temporary companion was up on his feet, cheering for a Rhyhorn and its rider named Grace. He bellowed at the top of his lungs over the crowds, the announcer, and the thundering noise of the Rhyhorn below trampling the racing grounds. The air and ground positively _shook_ with the mere force of the gargantuan armoured creatures propelling themselves forward on surprisingly fleet feet. Alastor deposited the reasonably thick envelope beside the man and motioned for Ares to follow him. The Houndoom did so, pausing only to stretch his cramped muscles.

"Wherever she is, she's certainly blending in well enough to avoid notice. You're usually on par with tracking people down," Ares remarked when they were well away from the race track.

"She'll show up eventually."

"She never did when she went on her little hunting trips. What makes you think she'll do that now?"

Alastor shot a slightly sour look to the dark pokémon.

"I'm simply playing devil's advocate. I'm not doing this because I dislike her, far from it. But have you considered the possibility that she…might not have survived the trip here?"

The werewolf nearly stopped in his tracks, but to his credit, kept walking toward the main route that would take him back to Lumiose City.

"You know as well as I do that she has a helluva lot more fight in her than that…_thing_ gave her credit for. First thing she's going to do is go to ground, gather her bearings, gain information, then branch out for further action. She's probably got a team going, same as us, and she's laying low for the time being. She knows how to hide well enough, I'll give her that. But she knows I won't be that far behind her."

"Well…there was the Nebraska Incident." Ares conceded with a bob of his horned head.

"According to her, that was a 'non-event that never happened'." Alastor smirked a little, remembering how red her face had gotten when he'd shown up out of the blue like he had with no warning. She hadn't even told him where she was at the time. Tracking her hadn't taken long, but it wasn't exactly a short process, either. She was good at covering her tracks, he'd give her that. But he was just as good at uncovering and pursuing them back down to the source. "Regardless…she knows I don't give up very easily, just as I know she won't either. We're both stubborn like that. She's probably trying to find a way back home right now."

The Houndoom exhaled loudly once more as he trotted alongside the werewolf. Odyssey Village and its famous little Rhyhorn race track were quickly retreating away the further they trekked down Route Four. Alastor could already smell the fragrant gardens that lined the southern hem of the city, miles and miles away, but it was pleasant nonetheless.

"Two peas in a pod," the dark pokémon remarked, his ears twitching. He turned his snout to the sky, scanning briefly. "Speaking of…our little aerial friend's returning."

"I hear her."

Alastor turned his gaze skyward as well, pinpointing the familiar silhouette of Fenghuang, still high up in the hot blue sky. "She'll be down in good time. Let's make it to Lumiose and meet up with the rest of the rangers, see if we can't do another sweep before we head out."

"Have to make money somehow," Ares agreed. The Houndoom briefly hesitated before adding a hopeful note to his tone, "I'm sure she'll turn up. She'll eventually pry herself out of whatever little rock she's been taking shelter under. And then all we'll have to worry about it is getting back home again."

He sighed at Ares' comment, still tracking the Talonflame high above them. She dipped into an air current before tilting her wings and pulling them close in for a dive, hurtling rapidly toward the ground.

"Easier said than done."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Shaky hands worked at the faucet knobs, palms still slick from sweat, but eventually were able to get the water running. Lupin shuddered as she splashed cold water on her face, cupping her hands together time and again, her head buzzing with…

With nothing.

Again.

It had all faded to black all too quickly, retreating into another thick miasma of convenient forgetfulness. She ignored the bombardment of questions she could hear from Bullet as she concentrated more on leveling her breathing, calming down. Slowly, her heart rate leveled out to an even rate instead of the rough clatter it went about and her nerves felt less jittery as well. Only when she was sure she wasn't going to fall over or puke, did she turn back toward the hallway to find Riptide and Bullet waiting for her. They had long since fallen silent, but she could plainly read the open worry written on Bullet's face and the sheen of concern in Riptide's eyes.

"You haven't had one of those in a while," Riptide said quietly after a moment. Bullet whined, looking torn between sitting still and wriggling forward, his body locked with pent up energy.

"You wouldn't wake up, you just kept…you kept _yelling_. And you were crying too," he added, ears folding back further against his head. Lupin stood there, staring, not fully comprehending at first. Her hands finally reached up, feeling her face and noting the wetness there. When she swallowed, she winced, realizing how raw her throat felt.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I didn't know I…" Her voice didn't sound like hers; it was so rough and grating, it surprised her. _I'm going to feel this in the morning, I know it._

She twitched suddenly, her eyes alighting as she turned to Riptide.

"Did I…a-a name, did I say…anything? O-or about anyone…?"

He faltered. It was brief, but it was noticeable and her heart sank when he shook his head a few short seconds later. Slowly, he shuffled forward and that encouraged Bullet to do the same. She sluggishly lowered herself to sit down, her back to the towel cabinet beside the sink, feeling dizzy and disoriented, and above all, disappointed.

"You didn't say a name. Or a place. You just…kept screaming. Crying. Shouting. Telling someone to not hurt…someone else. Them. You said, _'don't hurt them'_. I'm not sure what it meant. You were terrified and thrashing around. We couldn't get close. You woke up a few minutes after, but you weren't really all there and then you came stumbling in here." He wavered again, and pressed against her side, no longer looking her in the eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen you scared like that before. You've had nightmares, but this was…"

He didn't finish and he didn't need to. Lupin nodded, feeling numb and disjointed from the situation, as though she was no longer within her body and was watching all of this from somewhere else. Bullet slid into her lap and the warmth encouraged her to pull him close and bury her face into his fur, listening to a faster-paced heartbeat drumming away. It was almost a comfort and it worked for a time. It settled her nerves some, helped ease her from fidgeting or worrying at something else. It gave her something to focus on.

Her other hand eventually found its way to Riptide's head, rubbing at spots she knew he liked. The repetitive motions had their own calming effect, both for herself and for the other two. Bullet's scent mark was finally soothed. Riptide lapsed into silence, his eyes closing entirely and a soft hiss emanating from him every now and then. The cabin was quiet, except for the soft ticking of a clock somewhere, and outside, the Charizard…

She remembered where she was and it came in a rush all at once. She relaxed a little more against the towel cabinet, frowning.

"It's really quiet."

"The noise started dying down not long after we went to sleep. A few grumbles here and there, but…" Riptide peeped his eyes open and gently smacked his jaws shut. "…It's a little too quiet. Even for a valley full of giants."

"I hate those words. It usually means something ends up being wrong," Lupin made a soft, disgruntled noise.

"That's usually the case."

Lupin continued to frown. "Ridgeback said they see poachers often enough that they've had to 'defend' themselves. If Liza's gone and no one can call for backup in case something like that happens…"

"It's a possibility, but don't jump to conclusions," Riptide countered. Lupin wasn't convinced, but she nodded all the same and pushed herself to her feet. "Wait until you have all the facts."

"Right. Well…let's just take a quick walk. See what we see. Maybe the Charizard really do just get quiet at night."

Truthfully, she didn't think she could get back to sleep just yet. Her nerves were tetchy and her headspace too wired to settle, the adrenaline from the earlier night terror still coursing through her veins. Perhaps a walk and the brisk night air would calm things down further, lull her back to a somewhat easier sleep. And hopefully, at the same time, nothing sinister was happening and it really was just a quiet night hunkering down in the Charicific Valley.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Great behemoths slumbered away, the Charicific Valley practically vibrating from the ground up with the deep rumbles of their breathing alone. Their brightly lit tails flickered about, dancing in the air with minds completely of their own now that their owners were not watching. Lupin walked on quiet feet through the dust choked landscape, the faint wisp of sulfur and scorched earth still permeating the air, while Bullet trotted alongside her on one side, and Riptide flanked her other side. The Growlithe's ears were pinned loosely to the top of his head, a half-whine built up in the back of his throat, although it soon guttered out the longer they were out there. Riptide eyed all the draconic beings with suspicion and wariness, never letting up in his careful tread as he moseyed after the other two.

There was nothing that showed that anything was out of place or amiss. Lupin relaxed visibly, the tension she had carried herself with ever since she'd awoken and left the cabin. To the puppy pokémon, it was a relief. To an extent, Riptide felt some relief as well. It really had been the worst night terror she'd suffered to date. At least, the ones he was aware of, it was the worst. She had been terrified, to say the least. The crying and the screaming had been bad…but the _begging_ had been worse.

He hadn't told her in full, and he didn't plan to either. It would only needlessly stress her at this point in time.

Instead, he put his focus on observing the Charizard. That was what he should be doing, yes.

He noted how some of them were smaller than others, perhaps juveniles or newly evolved Charizard, while others were gargantuan in size. But they couldn't measure up to the behemoth that had driven away the window peeper from earlier. He looked as though he could have chomped Lupin right up in one gulp and still have room for more. He was, so far, the largest specimen observed in the Valley.

But there were others that came close to matching him. Some were bulky and thick, built for feats of strength and power, while others were skinny and slim but still muscled and lean, built for both power and speed. Another was so bullish in nature, Riptide almost believed him to be a new type of pokémon. It was only the dark reddish-orange hide, flicking fire-tail, and familiar horned helm of the Charizard that denoted its familiarity to him. He had never seen a Charizard like it. Some didn't even hold the traditional colours of Charizard, either, not completely. He had to stop and stare at one when he nearly stumbled upon such specimen. The Charizard in question had charcoal black limbs and tail tip, almost to the base, and perhaps even at its throat and belly and the colourations certainly weren't burnt flesh. It wasn't a shiny—or not what he'd expect a shiny to look like. He's never seen one himself. But he didn't think it'd be like that, he was expecting something…more.

He found out seconds later he wasn't the only one staring.

Lupin had paused to look at the slumbering beast, eyes wide and full of curiosity and wonder. He expelled a soft breath through his nostrils and toddled closer to her, nudging her leg with the side of his jaws.

"Let's start heading back. We have to leave in a few hours, and I don't think Ridgeback would appreciate being made to wait."

"…right. Yeah. I almost forgot," she mumbled back. Bullet glanced up at Lupin, noting how distracted she sounded, like her mind was miles away from where her body was right at that moment. The Growlithe then glanced back to the sleeping Charizard. Just as he was turning, something glinted, catching his eye. It was dull enough to avoid complete notice, but shiny enough to attract in the right lighting. And with the moon, swollen to a near full disc, was directly overhead and its silvery-blue light was bright.

Bullet crept closer, choosing his steps with care, fearing he'd awaken the great flame pokémon at any moment, but it didn't. It continued to slumber on, unaware of the little puppy pokémon edging towards it. Something was sticking out the neck of the Charizard, he found soon enough, a thin, metallic tube buried in the thick, rough skin of the bulky beast. Bullet hesitated, inching closer, then darted forward, snagging it with his teeth and yanking it out.

The Charizard slept, barely moving except for the heaving of its sides and the involuntary twitch of its neck. He scrambled away on surefooted paws, speeding after Lupin and Riptide. He found them both just around the bend, heading back toward him. Riptide looked annoyed, while Lupin—despite her still-distant gaze—was concerned and she stooped to pick him up. He wriggled away from her impatiently, dropping the little device and growling, "Not now, look! Look at this!"

The Totodile edged closer, stooping on all fours to sniff at the little object. He reared back up indignantly, nostrils wide and a hiss building in the back of his throat. Lupin snatched up the object, mindful of the needle at the end. "It's a tranquilizer round."

"That can only mean one of a very few things, and we can probably knock everything else off the list," Lupin surmised, her eyes drawing back into focus as she stared at the small metal tube and its needle in her hand. Without a spare ounce of effort, she crushed it between her thumb and index finger. The metal casing buckled without resistance, and with her other hand, she bent the needle and snapped it clean off. Bullet flinched in surprise. Riptide felt the hiss he had been drawing out suck right back in, once again reminded that his trainer wasn't human. Her ears and tail had become so incorporated with her image, he often forget they were there, like the tail at his backside or the length of his snout.

She dropped the broken round and tilted her head upwards, eyes scanning the sheer, craggy cliff walls and her ears went ramrod straight, slowly turning and twisting. She sniffed on occasion, but scarcely moved. Bullet did much of the same, and it left Riptide feeling out of place. His sense of smell wasn't as superbly defined as a canine's.

Barely a few minutes later, Lupin cursed low under her breath. "I thought I smelled something off, but I wasn't sure…dammit."

"I smell it too," Bullet concurred, but his ears slowly folded to press against his head. "But…I can just barely smell it. What is it you smell again?"

"People."

"Two?"

"Two," Lupin nodded. "Males, a bit 'round my age I think. I smell metal…and plastic…" She fell quiet, listening, sniffing, watching. "About a quarter of a mile away…"

If it were possible, what little colour they could discern in her face drained away.

"The nests."

She took off at full pelt, her tail bristling from end to end. Bullet spared barely a thought and sped on after her. Riptide stared, briefly taken aback. It hit him seconds later and he gave off a loud, ugly snort as he glared at their retreating backsides.

"Short legs here! RUDE!"

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

They followed the scent trail over the uneven landscape, carefully picking their way to higher ground when the trail began to grow stronger, more recently shed. The stony hills were loose and treacherous off path and they were also narrow and thin, resulting in extra care where footing needed to be placed. Bullet followed close on Lupin's heels, while Riptide lingered farther back, grumbling under his breath all the while.

"How do you even know they're near the nests? We haven't been there." He called out at last, incredulous.

"I can smell all the babies. This is where their strongest scent marks are coming from," Lupin called over her shoulder before adding, "Now be quiet, or else you'll give us away."

"Give you away. Right. Give you away, my scales," he groused further, uttering a sibilant and low hiss.

He reached the summit where Lupin and Bullet were crouched at last, silent and still, although Bullet practically vibrated with nervous energy, but Lupin…

Lupin was merely still. Waiting. Watching. Her eyes were glittering darkly, calculatingly, as she peered down the low-grade hill before them. Riptide felt a little unnerved, but he remembered his own words to Bullet from earlier: he had a choice to stick around or leave, and the same applied to himself. The Totodile could have chosen to leave ages ago, but he stuck it out with the werewolf, regardless of what she was.

Instead of mulling over that, he turned his attention to the area below, a deep depression into the cliffs at the edge of the hill. Everything beneath was cast into shadows, but the flickering of several Charizard tails made possible for some light. Good, it helped him some, he couldn't see all that well. His sense of smell…well, frankly, it was much better. In the water.

But he could just make out humanoid shapes moving about, their shadows thrown to the walls against the dancing tail lights provided. After that, he couldn't see where they were going, but he would bet that Lupin could. Perhaps the dog too, if his eyesight was anything better than his own.

"What do we do," Bullet said with a hushed whine, breaking his gaze with the scene below. Riptide shuffled closer, dropping to his belly as he went to settle beside the puppy pokémon.

"We go down and take care of them. It looks like they tranquilized the Charizards around the nest. They're helpless. We can't let them steal from the nests."

"But, Lupin—"

"No buts. Would you rather we pretend they weren't here at all, and wake up to hear the mothers crying for the babies that were stolen?" Lupin responded pointedly, staring down at the both of them with equal disappointment. Bullet folded his ears against his head, pressing closer to the earth in a tiny ball. Riptide dropped his gaze to avoid hers. She pursed her lips together tightly, waiting, and when nothing else was forthcoming, she continued, "You have a choice. Either you help me, or you stay up here and watch me take care of things. It's on you."

The Growlithe's jaw dropped in surprise as the werewolf scrambled over the crest of the hill on silent feet, picking her way down the hill with little disturbance to the loose soil and stones beneath her. Riptide hissed, louder this time.

"She can't be serious, she can't fight pokémon on her own!"

"You forget she's fireproof. She stood up to a Charizard and practically begged to be charbroiled by one." Riptide paused. "And you obviously weren't there when she took down an Onyx in the Dark Cave…"

"But…well, yeah, but that's different, she knew about that…I…we have to help. But I...I'm..." He was afraid to admit he was scared. Afraid to say it aloud. In Violet City, he could be brave, to a point because he knew he wouldn't be caught. In Falkner's gym, he trusted that even if he had been knocked out, Lupin would've made sure he wouldn't die. Out here, however, it was the wild. There was no control, no safeguard. He was a Growlithe and he was afraid.

"What else would we do? We're her pokémon, her team. It'd be a failure on our end if we didn't go down to help. And a little embarrassing, to be honest…" Riptide sighed, pushing back up onto his hind legs. The Growlithe beside him sat up a little, his ears still partially pressed to his head, indecision clearly written on his face.

"Gym battles were one thing, but…these guys are poachers. They don't want to just catch you like the police pokémon, they might kill us."

Riptide paused, halfway lurching forward to start down the hill, regarding the puppy pokémon critically with glittering yellow-red eyes. He snorted and turned to follow after his trainer and called over his shoulder as he went, "Then a word of advice: don't die."

Bullet whined low in his chest and throat, pressing against the hill once more, watching the Totodile as he scurried down the hill. A minute passed. And then another. Finally he lifted himself just high up enough off the ground to slink after the two. He was a Growlithe. It would be an insult if he didn't try, scared or not. He said he'd stay with Lupin and he would, and he'd do it through gym battles or poachers or anything in between.

He wondered if Benjamin would be proud of him.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three: Monster

**Chapter Twenty-Three:****  
****Monster**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**Note: Work has been crazy. I worked three weeks in a row, including my weekends, mainly because our Marine Reservists had come in. It's busy around this time of year, especially since we had our first field ops for about half a week. Whoo, sleeping in tents again…not good for the bad hip I had surgery on. **

**Anywhoodle, this chapter definitely came out longer than I had intended, but I'm glad I didn't break it up. It would have dragged on things longer than necessary, chapter-wise. And, as always, thank you to all who stopped by and read, and even reviewed, my story. I'm humbled by every little passing review I get, even if they're so sparse and few in between. They're precious, regardless of whether I get one or one hundred. :) **

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."_  
**-Friedrich Nietzsche**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Some of the outer nests closer to the hill had already been scavenged by the poachers. Bits of the soft clay that had been used to pile up high and impressed into for nests were broken in the sides, with faint impressions of boot marks here and there. They were almost unnoticeable amongst the myriad of greater impressions of giant paws and scratches in the earth from large talons and the occasional pitch of scorched earth. Littler scratch marks from the young Charmander and Charmeleon also littered the area, but they were as faint as the boots.

Lupin circled around one of the slumbering Charizard, carefully examining the body until she found another little tranquilizer round: thin and dull, the metal tube was intact with a needle puncturing the flesh. The werewolf carefully pulled it out and crushed it, but the Charizard slept on, undisturbed and unaware.

"Must be some heavy duty stuff if it keeps these guys out like this. I wonder how long it takes to wear off," she said under her breath. Riptide toddled closer, sniffing the tubing lightly.

"Perhaps until tomorrow night. It smells strong, even for my nose."

"By the time they wake up, these guys'll be long gone."

Lupin snuck toward the next closest nest, noting the same boot prints around the empty mound and the knocked out Charizard slumbering nearby. They came upon the poachers at last, hidden under the crevice of a craggy cliff, the overhang casting darker shadows inside. Several nests were in there, while just outside the overhang's lip, a building pile of interlocked cages sat. Lupin puzzled at this. How were they going to get the cages out?

She ducked down behind a pile of boulders, peeping out to examine the poachers and their pokémon as they worked.

She saw the large, yellow-furred creature first before the others. Its fur was bright and striking, with slashes of brown stripes down its backside and a long whipcord-thin tail that ended in an iconic thunderbolt design. The air around it was practically electrified and it didn't take her long to realize it might very well be an electric-type. She vaguely recognized it from her school studies in Violet City, the mature evolution of a Pikachu but for the life of her, couldn't remember its name. Next, she recognized the long, slithering form that was an Arbok, coiling around the nests silently while the two men worked.

It was long and thick in body, powerfully muscled, and a deep, unsettling purple, it almost looked black. The hood it was so known for was pressed tightly to its side, making it look less intimidating, especially without that leering devilish face sliding along the ground. She couldn't see any others, but she could smell them, somewhere. There was something else that smelled damp and muddy, almost, a hint that almost seemed…amphibious, perhaps.

Slowly, she picked her way closer, pausing when the yellow rat perked and listened, perhaps catching wind of her inching towards them. Its curled ears looked delicate, but she surmised that didn't negate its hearing ability one bit. The snake itself was probably more worrisome. If Lupin remembered correctly, it could detect vibrations in the ground, sense when something is coming closer. It made her wonder where the flying sentries in the valley were, and it almost made her wish she had her own set of wings to fly on.

_An approach from above would have been more ideal. _

But the nagging thought of where the sentries were kept crawling across her mind. Ridgeback mentioned nightly sentries at some point in the tour, hadn't he? There were Charizard that watched the valley in shifts, to avoid situations such as these.

_They must have done something, _she concluded. The poachers must have knocked out the sentries or enough of them in the area to get this close.

Behind her, she could hear Riptide and Bullet scuttling after her on quiet paws themselves, attempting to replicate her silent tread. They were close enough to have passed several empty nests, the unconscious mothers laying close by, unaware of what was going on around them. Occasionally, Lupin would spy a tranquilizer round sticking out of their hides, the metallic tube glinting dully in the moonlight.

"—don't drop any of them! And make sure that cage is locked tight; we don't want a repeat of the last job, do we? Proton ain't gonna like that we lost another quota."

"It sure isn't _my_ fault we used faulty cages the last time, now is it? Now we're stuck with them again, because someone didn't want to cough up the money to get new ones. Dammit—Rika, get over here! Slam this door into place, I can't get it in."

The yellow rat jerked at its name being called and returned an affirmative to the second speaker, the taller of the two men. "Hold on, hold on. Geez. Boys. Can't do anything right!"

"A Raichu," Riptide whispered beside Lupin, hissing quietly. "Electric type. I can't fight her. The Arbok, maybe…"

"I could take the Raichu," Bullet offered on Lupin's other side. They were peeping around another unconscious Charizard, closer to the poachers and their pokémon. The Arbok curled closer toward the first speaker, eyeing the Raichu as she made her way toward a set of cages. The two men were huddled beside it, and Lupin could see the telltale flicker of fire from within, the shapes of little heads, tails and limbs piled inside. She furrowed her brow.

"There's one more somewhere around here, I smelled it earlier—there it is."

Riptide inhaled sharply, yellow-red eyes narrowing in surprise. "A Marshtomp," he said, pausing and assessing the creature, sizing it up. It stood nearly as tall as a human, with a thick, but strong blue body. A dark crest running along from the forehead to the back of the neck adorned its wide skull, making it appear even taller. Yellow feathery adornments grew out of its cheeks, giving it an almost salamander-like look. Thick arms hung loosely at its side, limp for the time being. "Not good. It's another water type, mixed with ground type. Evolved from Mudkip, if I remember correctly. They're from over in the Hoenn region."

Lupin vaguely recalled the little mudfish from a Hoenn vendor, yes.

"You might have to handle the Marshtomp then," Lupin offered with a wince. Three pokémon versus her two. It didn't seem fair. "But maybe I could—"

"No." The Totodile intoned sharply. Lupin stared, taken aback, ears pressing tighter against her head. He shook his head for emphasis when she opened her mouth to argue. "Don't. _Do not do it._ You're _not_ a pokémon. This is _our_ job. _We_ are supposed to fight."

"How is that fair, you know I can handle myself just fine—"

"It's called luck, and it will run out, if you keep charging in like you always do! You can't spit fire out at everything and expect it to end well," he continued before softening his tone. "This is why we're here with you. We fight for you. We represent you. Let us battle, the way we're supposed to. It's what _I_ was bred to do, at the very least. I won't speak for Bullet, but…"

Riptide petered off, glancing at the Growlithe, who seemed to take off the cue to nod his furred head with vigor.

"I _want_ to fight. It's…I know it's what Growlithe are supposed to do. We aren't supposed to run away, no matter who we're fighting. Gym leaders, trainers, poachers, wild pokémon…we're supposed to stand our ground. And you were right, the Charizard were nice to us. We can't look the other way."

Lupin stared, her words failing her. She watched the two pokémon, both of their eyes burning with determination and stubbornness. She hesitated. She didn't like sitting idly by. It chafed her, made her feel useless not doing some of the work herself. But neither of them seemed to mind. It's what they lived and breathed for, it's what they wanted. She couldn't keep them away from it, even if she tried. Riptide had already gone off on his own before when she refused to let him fight, and he'd nearly lost his life for it. Bullet was a bit more timid at times, but he was still willing and able nonetheless.

Reluctance held fast, but she finally nodded at them.

"Okay. You got it, it's your rodeo. But," she hissed the last with emphasis, pointing a finger against the Totodile's bony snout. "If I suspect so much as a _hint_ of trouble, I'm jumping in and I am _not_ holding back.

Somehow, Riptide didn't expect anything less from her. He was surprised at that realization more than her declaration.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Hey, hey, hey! Keep it down, Arceus almighty, Marcus! D'ya wanna wake up these fucking things with all that banging around on the cage doors you're doing?"

Marcus eyed his companion for a moment, grunting briefly as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Lay off, Toby. Those tranqs will last us until tomorrow. Plenty of time to get away long before any of these beasts wake up." Marcus replied, issuing another hiss and grunt as he tried to manhandle a lock into place. The latch on the door wasn't going, the door too far forward to catch properly. "Besides, that stuff's strong. Surprised it ain't killed one of the smaller ones yet."

"Yeah, sure. That's what our good buddy Toshi said a few years back, the last job he ever did. He miscalculated the dosage and look what happened to him. Got ripped to fucking pieces by a bunch of Skarmory. Palkia and Dialga above, I _hate_ Skarmory. Nasty metal chickens. They all oughta be roasted out of their metal coats and the meat fried up in cooking oil."

"Fuck Toshi. He fucked up. And say what you want about Skarmory, they're tough little birds against just about everything else." He got the latch through at last, then turned another set of cages and piled them atop with haphazard care. Toby hissed again, wincing as he cast a worried glance all around the slumbering Charizard.

"Don't _drop_ any of them! And make sure that cage is locked tight; we don't want a repeat of the last job, do we? Proton ain't gonna like it if we lost another quota."

Marcus scowled at his fidgety partner, noting not too far off, Toby's Arbok, Ozzy, was coming full circle back around toward its master. The large snake uttered a sibilant hiss as it came closer, eyes catching the moonlight at certain angles.

"It sure isn't _my_ fault we used faulty cages the last time, now is it? Now we're stuck with them again, because _someone_ didn't want to cough up the money to get new ones. Dammit—Rika, get over here! Slam this door into place, I can't get it in."

Rika, Marcus's Raichu, came sauntering over with a light air about her as she went. She passed Ozzy as she did, uttering a cheery squeak in response. Marcus pointed at the next set of cages, already piled with knocked out Charmander and Charmeleon. Their tails flickered and wavered, but none had gone out, she noted. Good. That meant they were of a strong clutch. "Use a good iron tail to get this lock into place. We need to make sure all these cages are locked together so Twitch can get them out. You know the drill."

The Raichu nodded in understanding, turned and whipped her tail at the lock in question. Split seconds before connecting, a bright sheening glow engulfed her tail. When she slammed a connection, the clear keening tone of metal on metal sounded off in the air. Marcus inspected the cage with scrutiny, nodded, then waved the Raichu off.

"Speaking of Twitch, where in the seven hells is that stupid flying rock monster?"

"She'll be here, she's just finishing the last drop off, shouldn't be too long. We're pretty far inland…"

Rika listened with half an ear to the conversation as she traipsed away, the humans continuing their conversations, worrying themselves as they locked all the cages together to create one massive block. Her trainer Marcus and his partner Toby were always worrying over one thing or another. If it wasn't Charizard, it was Skarmory. If it wasn't Skarmory, then it was Braviary, and if it wasn't them...well, it was always something else. So on and so forth, it was the same old, same old.

She passed along between nests, eying the Charizard with a critical eye as she went, perusing until she spotted Tarly, the newest addition to the team. Well, aside from that Vileplume, Kale. But she didn't count him. He was on loan. But Tarly was going to be sticking around for quite some time…she hoped. The Marshtomp was watching one of the Charizard intently, another mother draped close to one of the nests they had cleaned out. His eyes wandered to the mother's sides that heaved slowly, the wings carefully tucked against her side, and lastly, the tail that blazed strongly on, despite the tranquilizer coursing through her veins. He lifted his gaze when he heard him approaching.

"Oh. Rika. Hello. How's it?"

"Keeping an eye on that flame in case you have to douse it?"

"Oh, this? No. Just…it's strange. How you can tell their health by their fire, is all."

"Fire has a life of its own, you know. It only makes sense for these fire-spitters to have some kind of health meter connected to their heart fires. Most fire pokémon do. Not all, but most." She eyed the Marshtomp as she approached to lean on the Charizard like a wall, ignoring the heavy breaths made beneath her. "But I think you have some other thoughts on your mind, kid. Spill."

If the Marshtomp was surprised, he hid it well.

"I…it's just…is this all we do? Do we steal from pokémon and trainers alike and…hurt them?"

"We don't hurt them…not unless we need to. Look, kid…this is what we do. Sometimes, life gives us choices and we either let others take advantage of them, or we get there first. That's what Marcus and Toby always say. If life throws you an opportunity, you jump on it and ride it like the Pidgeot does the wind. You don't watch it sail by and wish it had been you jumping on instead of the guy ahead of you."

Now the Marshtomp seemed visibly upset, a chink in his armour. He glanced away to gaze at the fire tipping the Charizard's tail.

"But _why_?"

Rika blinked, taken aback, but it was only briefly.

"Why?" She echoed, canting her head to the side, huffing a laugh. "I just told you _why_. Look, kid, you got a lot to learn. You'll get the hang of things soon enough and how we operate. It'll be hard at first, sure, but we'll be here for you. Don't you worry. Marcus and Toby will take care of all of us. So keep an eye out, finish your patrol and…just watch your back. Poaching isn't easy, but it's profitable. You'll see."

Tarly only nodded, glancing further away from Rika. The Raichu's tail whipped forward, counterbalancing her as she pivoted on her heel to head back the way she'd come. There was a brief period of peaceable silence. All was going well, accordingly to plan and right on schedule. Twitch was due back any minute, Ozzy and Tarly were right on track with their patrols, and all was well.

That was what she thought, up until the point her world was suddenly engulfed in flame and heat and pain.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The Raichu was the first to be hit. The ember attack hit her nearly point blank and seemingly out of nowhere. Tarly, even being the closest, couldn't see where the source was coming from and before everyone knew it, the gush of fire had cut short and the skittering of retreating footsteps was heard plainly in the ensuing silence. The other pokémon in the vicinity froze, while their trainers were quicker on the draw to break free of the tension and shock. They bellowed over the shrill screams of the electric rat, snapping the Marshtomp and Arbok back.

"Tarly, douse out that fire!"

The Marshtomp dawdled and weaved closer toward the Raichu, spitting up a stream of water from his mouth. Immediately, steam rose where the fire died and hissed in protest as it did. Tarly pressed forward, distress written plainly on his face as he approached the injured Raichu.

"Where the hell did that come from—did you miss one? _Did you miss one of those friggin' Charizard?_ Ozzy, seek it out and put it down, put it the hell down!" That was Toby, his voice becoming shrill and high by the time he finished. The giant snake hissed loudly, affirming he'd heard the order and went slithering about. His powerful coils slid gracefully between the haphazard lanes of nests and bodies, tongue flicking as he tasted the air.

"Shut up, shut up! It wasn't a Charizard, the flame wasn't big enough and we'd all be dead if it were. Maybe we missed a Charmander, or at the very least, one of the Charmeleon. Tarly, get Rika over here, and then go help Ozzy out." Marcus barked, scowling thunderously as he surveyed the little valley. All he could see were Charizard bodies besides empty nests, but if one little Charmander or Charmeleon was loose, they'd have to track it down and catch it. He didn't like rushing about between the overgrown lizards though. That would be foolish, especially if they tripped over a tail and caught fire.

"I thought Kale got all of them little ankle biters," Toby grouched as he prowled away from the setup of cages. His head and shoulders were the only things visible as he passed behind the large dusky orange bodies. Marcus watched for a moment before he plucked a pokéball from his belt, hesitating for the briefest of moments. He tossed it into the air when his reluctance cleared. Energy and light coalesced as it broke open and solidified into a proper form. A Vileplume took shape, its dark body and drab colours blending nearly perfectly into the shadows. It turned its overburdened head toward Marcus, tilting it only enough to view the human.

"It looks like you missed one of the babies," he intoned with a growl. The Vileplume blinked slowly up at him, waiting. Marcus scowled, motioning toward Marshtomp making his way over with a limping Rika. Shiny burn marks covered patches of her body where flames had licked away her fur and exposed sensitive skin beneath. Clear pus oozed from the edges of the burn wounds, and the electric rat winced with every step she took. "_That_ is what happens when you screw up. Proton's gonna hear about this mishap. You got me?"

The Vileplume remained quiet, turning to glance at the Raichu, as though processing what had happened. From the angry tone Marcus took, to the injured electric rat, everything was studied with quiet scrutiny.

"Patch her up with whatever numbing agent you got in that big mushroom of yours and then get out there and help look for the little monster. Knock it out and bring it back if you find it. Understood, Kale?"

The Vileplume, Kale, nodded. He toddled off to meet the Marshtomp and Raichu halfway.

"Tarly, get out there and help the others, leave Rika with Kale—"

A bloodcurdling screech erupted suddenly, shattering the tense and relative silence engulfing them all. With the way the very air seemed to have been holding its breath, the scream sounded preternaturally louder than it should have been. It echoed long and loud, making hearts leap to throats at the primal noise. None of the Charizard stirred, nor did the hatchlings resting in the cages. The only ones awake were his team, his partner and his pokémon…and someone else.

At last he broke free of the spell that had him rooted to his spot and off Marcus went, hurtling around and sometimes over sprawled limbs and haphazard tails or skulls. He rounded over to Toby, who had flopped over onto the ground, screaming his head off right beside a knocked out Charizard. Marcus gaped, taken aback once more, as the rest of the team came beside or behind Marcus to see Toby being attacked, certainly.

But not by a Charmander or Charmeleon like he had been expecting.

It was a Totodile, one on the verge of evolving, if the growing skull crests and brightening back scutes were anything to go by. But what was a Totodile doing all the way out here, in the sulfur-infused wasteland that these Charizard and their kin have come to enjoy? A Totodile couldn't survive out here, could it? They preferred the marshes of the more northern wilderness beyond, and even some of the swamplands near the Ilex forest.

All that information, however, fled from his mind at the sight of Toby's calf locked in the Totodile's small but powerful jaws. His pants leg was glistening wetly, fabric was audibly tearing and even with Toby beating ineffectually at the Totodile's bony snout, the big jaw pokémon would not relinquish its prize.

Marcus leapt forward, all questions about the how or why of everything pushed to the side as he rushed to grapple the little bastard's jaws open. He'd have a hell of a time, he knew. Totodile and their ilk tend to have significantly powerful closing, crushing power but their jaws were weak in opening.

As soon as the Totodile glimpsed Marcus heading for it, however, it leapt away. The big jaw pokémon gave off a resounding hiss and gaping maw that exposed gleaming white teeth spattered with blood and mad yellow-red eyes. A guttural growl built up, a warning of sorts, but Marcus wasn't having it. He'd teach the little beast a lesson—

Another torrential gush of flame spat out toward him just as he started advancing toward the little gator from another angle, cutting Marcus off. He yelped and stumbled backwards while he heard concerned mewling from his pokémon, and drawn out moans of pain from his partner. Toby was curled up not three feet away from Marcus, clutching his leg and rocking back and forth, as though that alone would help minimize the pain. Palkia and Dialga above, he was going to help Toby, but he needed to take care of the Totodile and its unknown accomplice.

Tarly lumbered past him on a squat but fast little legs, puffing heavily after the Totodile and doling out a water gun attack. The Totodile leapt away nimbly and scrambled about on its hind legs now, hissing at the Marshtomp. Ozzy navigated closer toward the Totodile while it was distracted by Tarly, striking fast and hard when the gator was within reach. Somehow, that attack missed but Marcus had turned away by that point as the battle beyond raged on. He didn't know where Kale was and didn't spare the area another look as he rolled Toby over. He ignored the other man's pained sobs and curses, telling him to shut it and stand up.

"T-T-Twitch—where's Twitch, s-she was supposed to be here, sh-she was s-s-s-supposed to fly us outta here by now—dammit, where is that stupid flying fossil?!"

"Shut up, just shut up—Tarly! Ozzy, Kale—dammit, all of you, get rid of that gator, it's just one Totodile! Rika—RIKA, GET YOUR TAIL OVER THERE, WE NEED YOUR THUNDERSHOCK! FRY THIS LITTLE BASTARD!"

The burnt Raichu winced at her trainer's words from across the way and hauled herself painfully to her paws, trying to trot over without jarring her body too much. Already, she was prepping for an attack, despite her body's protests for rest and not movement, but another heated pillar of red and yellow came sailing toward her, blocking her off. A strangled scream from Tarly made her heart jump and she backed away from the fire, brown eyes darting toward the sky for a brief moment, scanning frantically.

Where _was_ Twitch?

Her heart sank at the thought of that old fossil making a pit stop to hunt. It wouldn't be the first time she's done that before. Rika doubted it'd be the last, but she hoped this job wouldn't be _her_ last.

_I have to hit that thrice-damned gator,_ she thought, already taking an alternate route to help with Tarly and Ozzy and perhaps even Kale. She knew if she just started zapping without looking, she might hit one of her teammates—or worse, one of the Charizard and jolt it out of its chemical-induced slumber. But she also wanted to char up whatever fire-type was trying to burn her into ash. It made her blood boil and sparks began arcing from her cheeks, the air briefly superheating around her. Her body and the pain that wracked it slowly turned into secondary matters as adrenaline surged through her veins. She could make out Tarly and Ozzy now, and occasionally the low-slung Totodile dishing out a rather impressive amount of damage. She couldn't see Kale, however, didn't even know where her temporary teammate was. He had toddled off to help after he tried to sooth her wounds with a light powder of stun spore—not enough to do damage, but enough to numb some of her wounds. A temporary fix, but her wounds don't hurt _as_ much as they should have.

Just as she came upon them, a shadow fell over them, blocking out most of the moon's light from above. Rika was the first to look, and the din of battle took a brief reprieve as all took in the sight of the newcomer. A winged creature of massive proportions landed on the low-slung cliff above them, just above the overhang of the cages. A long, tapered jaw jutted out toward them lined with curved fangs, a muscled body coiled and ready to spring upon them all at a moment's notice. Cold black eyes stared down at the strange assembly, quiet and calculating. Only Toby's moaning could be heard, and at last, those black eyes slid away toward the moaning human.

Nostrils flared and air gusted noisily out at the sight of the man, wounded and bleeding, before returning to the assembled pokémon below.

"Who injured my master?"

The great flying beast's rumbling voice cut through the tense air, startling several of her own teammates before they responded by wordlessly stepping or slithering away from the Totodile in the middle of the fray. The great beast narrowed her eyes and ran her barbed tongue over her fangs. The silence pursued, making all uncomfortable at her lack of words for the longest of moments.

"Pity you aren't bigger," she replied at last, her tone flat and bored. She lifted her head higher upon her long and corded neck, peering down her snout at the blue gator, teeth glinting while she spoke. "I could use more than a toothpick right about now."

Without another word or warning, the Aerodactyl leapt forward in chilling silence, powerful wings pumping and jaws gaping wide to scoop up the frozen Totodile.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

None of the mother Charizard surrounding him were moving. That was both a blessing and a worry. It was a blessing so that Bullet could bound and leap and dodge around them with fluid ease. It was a worry because he hoped they were still alive. He knew they were, he could smell them, hear them, feel their heat, see their tails flickering—but that irrational part of his brain made him worry all the same.

But at the very least, for the time being, they provided security and cover. The only one who could possibly keep up with him was the Raichu, and he took her out quickly enough—or did enough damage to burn her. She'd be hurting for a while and reluctant to move too quickly. Riptide had leapt into the fray, though, attacking the wandering human and Bullet thought that was simply stupid. Attack the pokémon first, _then_ put the humans out of commission! Or confound them enough to make them run away. A dog who could breathe fire or a gator barely grown that could crush your leg more easily than its mundane counterparts were scary enough. Never mind the trainer that was watching from afar.

Arceus, for such a smart aleck, Riptide could be immensely _blunt_ and _stupid_ sometimes…

When the others began descending upon him, Bullet started his rally in harrying them; he cut off the approaching Raichu and singed the Arbok, but the Marshtomp…

The Growlithe felt a shudder ripple across his backside.

He wasn't touching that thing. The Marshtomp was a duel-type—water and ground. Both were a bane and a resistance to his fire attacks and he hesitated on a physical attack up close and personal. It would put him in range of any assorted water or ground-based attacks. If he got tossed out of the fight, that would leave Riptide alone. It was just when he noticed the Vileplume making its way into the fray—the easiest target just _begging_ to be sautéed—that the air itself seemed to come crushing down on them all. The light from the moon was suddenly blocked, casting everyone in shadows. A huge, winged monster landed upon the rocky cliff face above the assembled cages and where the poachers were taking refuge. Beneath the shadow of a monster, protected by tooth and claw and size, who wouldn't feel safe knowing they could sic it on someone else?

Bullet felt so very small and afraid again—and he felt ashamed of himself. In Violet City, he was always more confident and proud of himself, he was always reassured that he could get away with just about anything because it was _his_ city, his _home_. He knew the streets better than any human and even some pokémon. But out here, in the dark and the wilds beyond Violet City, there were great and terrible monsters and they didn't always come in the varying skins of pokémon.

The great gray beast's voice startled him and moments later, she was taking off, making straight for Riptide. The Totodile wasn't moving, wasn't making for escape. He watched in a frozen stupor as the flying pokémon came bearing down upon him. Bullet wasn't far. He lurched forward on fast paws, leaping nimbly over Charizard and lunging for the Totodile. He shoved the blue gator for all his worth as he approached, and felt the rush of air behind him as the winged creature sluiced by them.

She roared in frustration, a deep and reverberating noise that rattled him to his core as she pumped her wings and banked back around.

"Come on, we have to get out of here! Move it, you stupid lizard!"

Riptide hissed back, indignant, but for the moment, not focused on the looming threat.

"You dunderheaded fluffball, that _thing_ is an _Aerodactyl_! Don't you know what that _is_?"

"Yeah, I do! A big winged flesh-eater that wants to make us its next meal, so let's move it!"

Bullet made to shove the Totodile with his head, but stopped mere inches short when a bolt of lightning arced across and struck him. The entire Growlithe's body was thrown into agony, every part of him dancing with electrified fire. Riptide scuttled away from him, terror leaking into his eyes as he watched, unable to help or cut the attack off.

The Marshtomp and Arbok weren't far off and, yes, there he could finally make out the source: the Raichu. The attack didn't last long, the Raichu was flagging in her strength for the attack, but she could still unleash all sorts of hell, regardless. She was already charging up for another attack, and the Aerodactyl was banking within the tight canyon walls further down to double back for another attack. Bullet wasn't moving, too tired or in pain to do so. He wasn't even awake, he noticed. Knocked out. Sparks continued to arc back and forth across his fur, and realization dawned on Riptide: paralyzed. His thoughts and heartrate both raced. Did Lupin have any paralyze heal in her bag? Potions, perhaps? He couldn't remember, the rush of panic was coming in waves now. Where was Lupin? She wouldn't abandon them, he knew she wouldn't.

The flesh beneath his scales was itching. It was such a strange notion to take note of in a dangerous situation, but the sensation was pressing to the forefront of his mind, demanding to be noticed. It was as though his body was suddenly confined and too small and the itching wanted him to scratch away at the discomfort to soothe himself, but his attention was diverted back to the present situation at hand.

The Raichu, even when suffering from burns of her own, was pressing forward, ready to unleash another round of thundershock attacks on Bullet, or himself, or perhaps even both. And then that Aerodactyl was going devour them both. He couldn't let that happen. Riptide hissed at the yellow rat and spat out a harsh water gun in her rodent face, making her splutter and stop in her advance. The Arbok tried to sneak up on him as well, but he blasted the snake away and did much the same to the Marshtomp and Vileplume that were both lurking about, and even got the Aerodactyl to turn tail. Hard as stone, she might be, but rock-types were weak against water-types.

_I can't keep this up,_ he thought as he sprayed the Raichu again. His water gun attack was his only ranged attack, and it was beginning to flag in strength. The yellow rat would attack soon, he knew that, as would the others. And then the Aerodactyl would swoop in for a finishing move. She was almost on top of them once again, and he saw the Raichu back off at the last second. He was exhausted, he realized, and this time he could barely summon the strength to blast the Aerodactyl again. _I'm alone. Bullet's out, Lupin's gone and I'm going to die alone._

She was supposed to use the radio they had found in Liza's cabin earlier that day while exploring. She promised not to intervene, promised to call for help and come back, but she wouldn't intervene—and he suddenly wished she would, wherever she was, if she was even still here. Where was his trainer?

Fangs yellowed with age came bearing down on himself and Bullet, a gaping maw opening wide to snap him and Bullet up. Riptide hissed, flinging his jaws open and—

Light seared his vision. His body itched worse than before, and he squeezed his yellow red eyes shut in response. Even then, however, he could still feel the light searing through his eyelids, determined to burn out his eyes. Everything felt like it was being stretched out, from the top of his snout to the ends of his paws to the tip of his tail. The itching sensation continued until it began easing into an uncomfortable aching pain that made his body throb in time to his heartbeat.

Everything stopped. The light, the itching, the throbbing—it all vanished, and barely any trace of the discomfort lingered. He slowly opened his eyes, breathes raspy and shallow. His whole body felt strange and lethargic, and when he pushed himself to his back paws, he swayed, a rush filling his bony skull. Belatedly, he realized that he had not been eaten by the Aerodactyl, that he was still alive and so was Bullet, still knocked out beside him, but the other pokémon were staring, incredulous—or perhaps merely cautious.

_I'm taller now,_ he realized, after moments of staring down at the Growlithe. _I evolved. I evolved, I'm a Croconaw now, I'm not a Totodile, I evolved. _

The thought would have brought a smile to his lips—if he had any, that is. The revelation was short-lived. A heavy weight slammed into his backside, pinning him to the ground and slamming his jaws shut. No matter how much he wriggled, he couldn't open his jaws, couldn't push free from the weight, not even if he tried. Exhausted. He was just too tired. His evolution had strained him too much. He thought he was supposed to gain strength from evolving, grow stronger. _But I'm already tired, I used everything I had up. _

The Aerodactyl came on silent wings, jaws stretched wide and let out a terrible howl that made him shudder. The fossil pokémon was barely a hundred yards away from him and Bullet and whoever was on top of him, watching with baleful eyes as she circled back around. The muddy aroma from atop informed him of the only possible suspect who was holding him down: the Marshtomp. Stupid mud fish pokémon.

"Hold 'em down, Tarly, we got 'em! Toby, we got 'em! It's—well, it's a Croconaw now, and a…Growlithe, it looks like."

A jeer and a curse sounded off in response, to which the first speaker barked out a round of laughter, sounding off closer as he approached. The taller of the two poachers came around a bend of scales and flesh and wings, his face transforming from relieved to thunderous. The Raichu stepped aside, allowing him past, while the Arbok curled up close behind her, watching with glittering eyes. The Aerodactyl remained perched on the ledge she landed on, the Marshtomp still stayed atop him, and the Vileplume…

Riptide lost track of that elusive one. Perhaps it had been recalled.

The poacher stopped short of him, and he looked up as best he could. The poacher crouched, making it only slightly easier to glare at the man. Broad-faced, beady and narrowed eyes, unkempt greasy hair hung in strands around his face, face whiskers growing in patches along his cheeks and chin. He was an ugly human, if Riptide was one to judge. He hissed at the man beneath closed jaws. The poacher clucked his tongue and sneered, but directed his gaze away from Riptide and back to the Marshtomp.

"Tarly, you keep this little bastard in place until I say so. I don't want either of them getting up. Rika, come over here and watch the Growlithe. If he wakes up…zap the living shit out of him."

Both pokémon uttered an affirmative, but only the Raichu seemed to emphasize her enjoyment at the last command. Riptide hoped Bullet would stay knocked out, for his life's sake. That Raichu was just _itching_ for a reason to zap the puppy pokémon, he knew.

"No, no, no! Fuck that, fuck all that, I want them gone! GONE!"

"Toby, you stupid ingrate, we're not gonna off some perfectly good pokémon, especially one that's just evolved. D'ya know how rare Growlithe and Croconaw are? _D'ya_?! If we have no choice, then we will, but if we can keep them and sell 'em off, we'll make just as pretty a penny as we would these Charmander and Charmeleon."

The other poacher shouted dissent from his position underneath the cliff overhang, but another commanding bark from Marcus shut him up thoroughly enough. The Aerodactyl above growled her own discontent, but remained where she was, clinging to the cliff side. Her long tail swished slowly, back and forth, like a pendulum below her. The lead poacher stood, his fists balled up at his sides and clenching tightly.

"But first things first. We gotta take care of that trainer of yours. I know that you ain't some wild Croconaw, oh no, your kind don't care too much for these places. And Growlithe don't come near these places, naw. You got yourself a trainer and I aim to find him."

_Her_, Riptide thought with another low-throated hiss. _And you'll be in for a surprise when_ she _comes back to hand you your own hides._

The poacher turned on his heel none too gracefully, striding away on long legs and calling attention to the Aerodactyl. The attention of the ancient fossil turned to him in an instant, waiting keenly.

"Toby's outta commission, Twitch, so I'll sound off everything, you know the drill. Start making rounds, check every nook and cranny, make sure we didn't miss any Charizard, any nest, and take out any human you find wandering or skulking around here. Got it, Twitch?"

Twitch nodded, air gusting from her nostrils and loosing dust from the rocky lip she clung to. The great beast pushed off from the cliff side, taking wing once again.

A ribbon of flame danced through the air, lashing out to strike the stone-like hide of the Aerodactyl midair. The massive beast shuddered, the fire licking at her skin, but it did nothing save darkening it in some places. Twitch gusted breath through flared nostrils and her black eyes narrowed. Just within his peripheral, he could make out a figure on the lone stony hill he and Bullet had crouched behind with Lupin only…

Had it been hours ago? Or had it only been minutes before? He couldn't recall.

But she was there, standing her ground, her chin jutting up and proudly. Riptide watched, his eyes half-lidded, his attention divided by detachment and horror as the fossil pokémon turned her full attention on Lupin. Stupid, insane wolf-woman.

He clacked his jaws, but the pressure on his backside and skull increased as squat, muscled arms pressed down. His vision was swimming, but he fought the fatigue and the urge to give into the darkness. He was exhausted, both from the hit-and-run tactics and from his evolution. His body didn't feel right. His limbs felt too long and heavy, his tail even more so, and he didn't even want to begin to contemplate all of his other adjusting senses.

He wanted to move despite his exhaustion, yet he couldn't, not with the damned Marshtomp still on top of him. Bullet still hadn't stirred. He was most certainly out for the count. Now his stupid trainer was going to get herself killed and possibly eaten by the monstrosity whose sole focus is on her. He and Bullet were probably next on her list. Yes, she was being brave, but bravery could get you killed. It wasn't a shield of any sort. The pressure on his jaws loosened again, the attention of his holder diverted, if only briefly, as the Aerodactyl took to the ground and began prowling after the woman on the hill. That gave him a burst of energy through sheer panic. He wriggled anew, but the grip on him tightened.

"Don't, no—don't, stop it…"

The terror was blooming inside, accelerated by the thought of losing his trainer. They didn't necessary get along all the time, and yes, she sometimes ignored his advice—but at least she usually _listened_ first. That alone said more than what most trainers did. It was one of the small reasons he respected her.

"Stop struggling—you'll only make it worse on yourself," the Marshtomp murmured quietly to him. He sounded sad. _Sympathetic_, even. He didn't even bother clamping Riptide's jaws shut again.

"Please, don't—don't let her die, don't let that thing hurt her…"

He never thought he'd resort to begging a poacher's pokémon for mercy. He never believed he'd ever encounter one regardless, not like this, not out here.

There was hesitation from above, uncertainty even, but the mud fish pokémon never got a chance to respond.

"Shut his jaws and make him watch, Tarly. They have to pay the price for messing with us."

The voice, sharp and scratchy, belonged to the bedraggled and burnt Raichu. The sickly scent of charred fur still hung heavily in the air, perfuming the air with the disgusting stench. Pain tinged her voice, and sounded off slightly behind him and the Marshtomp. Riptide hoped her burns hurt like hell.

"But Rika, do we have to? Really kill them, I mean."

The lead poacher was shouting encouragement to the Aerodactyl now, urging her onward, and the other human was silent, perhaps dying or knocked out from his own injuries. Doubtful, but Riptide could hope, even if it didn't mean much. Especially since Lupin _still_ hadn't moved, the _stupid_ woman, even with the great beast bearing down on her.

"You got a lot of nerve butting into our affairs, little girl. Your mistake. Now your pokémon are gonna come with us," the poacher called. The Charizard of the valley slept on around them, blissfully unaware of the monstrosity that was prowling over and around them and stinking up their home with the scent of carrion. The babies in the cages slept on, unaware neither of their own kidnappings nor of the incurring one-sided battle going on for their sakes.

Strangely, Lupin had nothing to offer in rebuttal. No witty remark, no slick retort, nothing. But from here, even Riptide could see her eyes were shining brightly in the moonlight, a bright yellow-gold. He wondered if any of the others noticed, or even cared if they had. His gaze darted about, desperate for one of the Charizard to wake up, to realize what was going on and rip these poachers and their pokémon a new one.

_If only I was stronger—I was bred for battle and I can barely lift my head. Pathetic. _

"Please, don't do this—don't hurt her!"

His pleads went unheard. He found it almost funny for a moment there. Here he was, pleading to save his trainer when he could barely think to do the same when his own life had been in danger, _is_ in danger, even.

"Any last words, little wretch?"

The Aerodactyl's voice came in a low, quiet hiss. It was a whisper he had to struggle to hear. The canyon and cliff walls around them barely raised and amplified her voice, but he could recognize the hushed glee dripping from her tone.

"Just one," Lupin called out louder than the Aerodactyl, surprising the fossil pokémon briefly. Clearly, she hadn't been expecting Lupin to respond in kind.

She grinned and Riptide blinked slowly, Noctowlishly, confused.

"Flamethrower."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The world erupted in brilliant scarlet and gold, too hot to bear, too bright to look at. Fire washed over everything, harmless against the fireproof scales of the Charizard. The air itself danced and rippled, shimmering heat waves coming in waves seconds before the flames washed up over the bodies, making straight for the Aerodactyl. Twitch screamed as it slammed into her. Down, she went, slamming into the hard-packed earth, her wings splaying awkwardly as she sprawled onto her back. Her tail lashed out wildly as she tried to kick her way upright and to take flight and escape. The fire was a roar in her ears, the heat scorched at her hide and it actually _burned_.

Another roar suddenly came keening into the fray, and a heavy weight came slamming into Twitch. One moment, she was engulfed in the wild inferno, drowning in fire and her lungs aflame, the next she was breathing the cool kiss of fresh air. A scream of agony welled up in her chest at the sudden inflammation she felt following up her brief respite, and at the heavy claws that were digging into her flesh, past the stony osteoderms of her hide and breaching her flesh to carve at the softer tissue beneath. Yet another trumpeting howl rattled her, reaching far down to her very core. It was a primal noise heralding from the deeper wilds she had never glimpsed, despite her extensive travels.

Fangs snapped at her, and she returned the favour, desperate to be loose from the crushing grip that held her, kept her from freedom. They tumbled toward the lonelier plains of the valley, shaking the very earth well away from the nesting grounds. Even in the darkness, a kaleidoscope of colours blurred past, more brilliant flashes of scarlet, now gold, now sky blue and emerald green and hot-white. Her wings were useless, but her opponent was beating away at her with their own, powerful strikes that clubbed her even as she tried to retaliate in kind.

Twitch screeched back, a long and pitiless sound, snapping her tapered jaws at her opponent. She could smell the soot and ash and blood and fire in their own hard hide; testimony to a hard-lived life. That wouldn't stop her from carving her way through, however. She had faced many fierce enemies and this would merely be another to defeat. Her curved fangs finally found their mark and she sank down with vigor, reveling in the howl of anguish her foe unleashed. It was honeyed music to her ears, and the taste of blood filling her mouth and slick against her tongue was sweeter than the treats her master gave her on occasion.

The tangle of limbs and wings and tails continued, a dance of flame and stone bidding back and forth. Finally Twitch finally managed to break free, right herself back to her paws and leap into the air. Her adversary was quick, however, slamming into her backside and throwing all their weight on top of her. She pushed and shoved regardless, trying to buck off the heavier weight, but her muscles were beginning to burn with the exertion. Fangs found their mark again, sinking rapidly into the back of her neck and she screamed in outrage.

She snapped her jaws and struggled all the more. All her moves were physical, tangible only in the sense that she could strike out against her foe with tooth and claw and wing. But with her opponent striking from behind, she couldn't very well land a good enough blow to stagger them. Heat blossomed against the back of her neck, and at first, she believed it to be her blood, pouring from wounds that were now tearing open more freely. The heat grew more intense, and comprehension dawned on her in a sudden flash: fire. She was fireproof on the outside, more or less, but inside…

Her struggle renewed, she fought desperately to free herself, but it only made it worse. The heat grew until she could feel it scorching her sensitive flesh. She could smell it sizzling away, curling up and blackening, the smoke thick and oily in her nostrils. Twitch howled again, but another wave of fire consumed her once more, sucking the breath from her lungs and searing her throat before it all went black and still and quiet, with the ringing of a triumphant roar echoing after her trailing consciousness.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four: Roads Less Traveled

**Chapter Twenty-Four:****  
****Roads Less Traveled**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**Note: To my lovely guest, ****_Furubachick_****: Yes, of course your reviews make it through! If you check in the reviews for the story, you'll see all the reviews you've posted! Or, hopefully all the ones that you create; if any didn't, then I'm stumped. XD But seeing you in there brightens my day because you're so enthusiastic about this story, I absolutely love it! **

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_The woods are lovely, dark and deep,  
__But I have promises to keep,  
__And miles to go before I sleep,  
__And miles to go before I sleep.  
_**-Excerpt of "**_**Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening**_**" by Robert Frost**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Everything hurt, from the tip of his snout to the end of his tail. He wanted nothing more than to snap at the offending intruder pulling him from the cool and blissful darkness of his mind. Riptide hissed weakly, his armoured eyelids feeling like heavy weights as he struggled to prop them open. His vision blurred for the first few moments, but then a shape began to solidify before him. A relieved gush of air puffed past his flared nostrils before annoyance began to prickle at the forefront of his mind.

"You set yourself on fire again," he managed to croak out, a thin veneer of his irritation leaking in his voice. Lupin smiled Mareepishly at him, a rather lopsided look that fit her as she rubbed at the back his skull with one hand and the other spritzed bits of potion on his scales.

"You evolved," she retorted, although not unkindly. He detected a hint of pride in her voice. The potion was working well enough already; he could lift his head and it no longer feel like it was splitting in half. He gave a cursory glance around, to find that they were outside Liza's cabin, the moon and stars were still out, but the position of the former was farther down in the sky than before. The sky was also beginning to lighten, slowly but surely. He sighed in a resigned fashion.

"Fair enough," Riptide grumbled, relenting to her point. The fact that he had evolved was slowly beginning to sink in once again. He was a Croconaw now. He was no longer a tiny Totodile. He waited, almost impatiently, for Lupin to finish healing him before he tested himself on his arms, pushing himself up to his back legs. He wobbled, off balance and surprised at how much more height he had now and at how…_saurian_ his legs had become in order to support his weight and posture. He twisted as best as he could to get a better look, but he was still as inflexible as ever.

"Keep chasing your tail like that, someone might mistake you for a scaly, blue Growlithe," another voice called with a snicker. Riptide turned to find the Growlithe laying on Lupin's other side, looking a little bit worse than him, but not by much. At least he was awake.

"And if I skinned you of your thick scruff and left only a few red tufts on your back, someone might take you for one of the Totodile brood."

The Growlithe offered a floppy-tongued dog-grin, blue eyes dancing with mischief and relief. Lupin sat down the empty potion bottle and patted Bullet on his head. He whined contentedly, dropping his head on her thigh.

"You feeling better?" She asked of him, to which he gave a little nod and heavy sigh.

"Still tired, but it could have been worse," he admitted, an eye sliding open to peep at Riptide. "Are you good?"

The question coming from Lupin would have been predictable. But Riptide was surprised when it came from Bullet. He stared, taken aback before he nodded dumbly, automatically.

"I…yes. I'm good. Sore. Tired. But good. Nothing a bit of rest won't heal."

Bullet stared at him with one blue eye open still before he let off another heavy, drained sigh and closed his eye. "Good."

Riptide parted his jaws, words on the tip of his tongue, but he stopped short at the immense shadow that draped over them all and the sudden rise in heat. He turned on his paws and froze at the massive, scarred face and body looming within a few feet of them, icy blue eyes watching. The massive Charizard didn't speak, but he did watch them for a time before turning his attention away and toward the sky, as though sensing something was coming. Beyond, the night was slowly beginning to give way to the light of day.

The sky itself looked as though it wanted to catch on fire. The blackness of the night was chased away by the peaking of light on the eastern horizon, changing it to dawn-early dove grey and rosy pinks. Soon that was joined in by light golds. It was going to be another cloudless day, and the heat would soon pick up, making the air dry and arid, parched like the dust carpeting the ground.

With the rising of the sun, a small flock of Pidgeot and Fearow came from the opposite horizon, rushing forward on speedy wings. Upon their backs were Azalea police officers, guiding their pokémon toward the Charicific Valley in the dawn light. Riptide and Bullet watched in a kind of detached manner, too tired to get up and greet the officers alongside their trainer, but awake enough to continue viewing the proceedings. For nearly an hour after they landed, Lupin retold the events that had occurred within the last twelve hours to one officer, while the rest gathered up the unconscious poachers and their pokémon. A medical pokémon officer was out in the nests, helping revive the little Charmander and Charmeleon, alongside their mothers and other assorted Charizard that had been drugged.

All the while, the large Charizard who had come to their aide stood by like a silent sentinel, his scarred face giving away no thoughts that crossed his mind. Icy blue eyes watched the proceedings with just as quiet revelations as other two, and for the time being, they were too tired to even note how unsettling it was. As the conversation between Lupin and the police officer dwindled down, the poachers' pokémon were soon revived. A ring of police-working Growlithe and one frighteningly large Arcanine were set to guarding them. The only one who showed an ounce of remorse was the Marshtomp. He looked morose and regretful, scared even.

Riptide stirred, if only briefly, at the mud fish's presence. The Raichu looked worn out and beat down, but that didn't stop her from glaring between himself and Bullet. The unconscious and injured Aerodactyl had been too large to move with the current teams the officers had on hand and was returned to her pokéball for safekeeping. No doubt the others were to be confined all the same within the next hour or so.

The scuff of boots against gravel drew their attention away from the posse of pokémon. Riptide pushed himself up to his hind legs, his body feeling rickety and not like the one he had been born into and was used to. Bullet lingered with a whine, waiting until the big jaw pokémon seemed stable enough to stand on his own. He trotted forward with a minor limp and Lupin paused to scoop him up, burying her face in his scruff. "You guys did really good. D'ya wanna rest in your pokéball until we can get to Azalea? They offered us a ride there."

"I think so…I don't like the idea of flying…especially on one of _them_," Bullet remarked, eying one of the Fearow with a suspicious eye. She nodded, fishing out his pokéball and returned him in a beam of energy. Lupin turned to Riptide next, and he cocked his head to the side, flicking his gaze toward the Pidgeot and Fearow, assessing if he was up for a flight and decided no, he wasn't either. Never, actually, was a good time though. He nodded to her.

"I'll take my chances in my pokéball. My sentiments are the same as the fluffball."

Lupin grinned at him, a mischievous light in her eyes and no doubt a prickly retort on her lips. She was interrupted by a shadow falling over her and she turned to find the Charizard from before standing over her, closer than ever. She gazed up at the brute, her smile dying down. Riptide edged closer, muscles tense at the sight of the giant. Fireproof, she might be, but she could bleed all the same and he didn't exactly trust the fire pokémon entirely. He helped them out, yes, but that didn't mean he did it out for altruistic reasons. The Charizard held a steady gaze with the werewolf, quiet and stolid. For the longest time, it was as though he was having a silent conversation with Lupin, before he gusted hot breath down on her, nodded once, and turned on his heel to stalk away. Riptide pressed against her side and leaned against her, watching the Charizard through narrowed eyes until the brute spread his wings and took off.

"What was that about?"

Lupin didn't answer for the longest time before she shook her head.

"I dunno."

She looked sincerely lost as she adjusted her hat and turned back to him, his pokéball in hand. Already, he could feel his muscles turning to putty as he swayed unsteadily on his paws. Exhaustion began to settle in his bones once more as she returned him to his pokéball.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The sight of a town after several weeks on the road and the harrowing events of last night were a relief to weary bones. The officers dropped Lupin off in front of the Azalea Pokémon Center, bidding her farewell, good luck, and if they were in need of further information, they would contact her.

She watched as they took off once again, shielding her eyes from the sun momentarily as they sped off. Her ears gave a cursory twitch under her hat at a set of rapidly approaching footsteps and she turned in time to see an elderly gent making a beeline for her, looking haggard but determined. He skidded to a stop just short of her, his eyes glued to the rapidly departing officers.

"No, no, no! Dammit! I needed to talk to Officer Halberd! You there, girl! What were you doing with them just now?"

Lupin jumped, surprised at being addressed so suddenly.

"There was an attack at the Charicific Valley—poachers. I called them in earlier this morning to help with dispatching them and they gave me a ride here."

"Poachers in the Charicific Valley?"

The older man looked old enough to be her grandfather, considering if she even had one, she realized with a start. His hair was silvery-gray and receding from his brow, while visible liver spots decorated skin where hair was no longer growing. A weathered and sun-beaten face pulled in a scowl as burnt sienna eyes regarded her with suspicion for a long while. He turned on his heel with a '_harrumph'_ and a sweep of his aqua-hued _hakama_.

"Damn it all, those fools are wasting their time with petty cases outside of our hometown. Should have let another town, a much _closer_ one, take care of the problem because we have plenty of our own!"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. The rains have stopped in Azalea and the Slowpoke are beginning to disappear! Something is wrong, and I aim to raise all seven hells until things are put right. Team Rocket is behind this, cutting off our Slowpoke's tails and hawking them off the sides of the roads, I just know it!" The elderly man scowled again, gritting his teeth. "The Slowpoke Well outside of town…of course! Hang on, Slowpoke! Old Kurt's on his way!"

Without another word or look spared to the werewolf, the old man was off again, hobbling away down the street. Lupin stared after him, somewhat dumbfounded as she considered his cryptic words and actions. _Slowpoke tails…where have I heard that before?_

It hit her like a brick wall at full speed and she stared down the road where the old man had disappeared down more intently. _That loiterer I called Professor Elm about, just a few days ago…he was selling Slowpoke tails on the side of the road outside Union Cave. And Team Rocket? Who're they?_

With one question answered, several more bloomed in their place. She entered the center with her head buzzing and muscle memory had her going through the motions to secure herself a room and heal her pokémon. When the nurse manning the desk handed back her pokéballs, Lupin took them with an automatic thank you passed along as she shuffled off toward the chow hall. Once inside, she snagged a tray and loaded it with as much food as she could and found a secluded table away from other trainers lingering about. Only when she actually sat down did she finally think to release Riptide and Bullet. She took two small bowls off her tray and offered them to the two. Bullet dug in with gusto, while Riptide stared half-heartedly at the meal before glancing up at the werewolf.

"Azalea?"

She nodded, picking at a bowl of steamed rice and then another bowl lined with _natto_. Riptide croaked at her, eyes narrowing as he lifted himself a little higher, somewhat pleased that he could now clear the table with his head.

"And?"

Her gaze flicked to him briefly, then back to her tray of food. She took a few bites of the _natto_ before pausing to top it off with some soy sauce. As an afterthought, she poured some over her steamed rice as well.

"We got dropped off, and then this old guy came up and started ranting about…Slowpoke tails. He wanted to talk to the officers who dropped us off, but they'd already flown off."

The gears clicked into place slower than he would have liked. He clacked his jaws with a low hiss. Lupin took this as a sign to continue. Bullet paused in his feeding to look up, his attention equally as sharp now. Lupin furrowed her brow.

"He said that the Slowpoke are disappearing here in Azalea, and that there's some kind of…well outside of town. And that someone called 'Team Rocket' was involved." She turned her mismatched gaze on the Croconaw. "Have you heard of them? The way he was muttering about them, he made it seem like they were bad news."

Riptide considered the name, mentally rolling over it before he shook his head, looking earnestly lost. For once, he didn't have an absolute answer.

"I've never heard of them. It's…I'd say it's a stretch, but they might be a pokémon-humanitarian group. There are plenty of organizations out there that deal with pokémon rights and…it's been a while, admittedly, since I've heard about them. Some tend to be…radical and dangerous, though. The professor would know more about them, and _he_ might have heard of this Team Rocket group, to be honest. It's never been brought up in the laboratory. I'm sorry. Maybe you'd have better luck calling and asking him." He paused, before revising with, "Although I'm not entirely confident he'll pick up. He might be off somewhere. Phillip might possibly know, though, as a secondary source to ask."

Lupin considered the advice.

"I'll have to give them a call later. I think we should get some food in us and start looking."

"Looking? For what?" Bullet piped up, licking his chops. Riptide regarded him with a half-lidded gaze that all but said '_Really?_'

"Me." Lupin said to the puppy pokémon. "Clues about me."

"You should have asked the officers when you had them here still."

"They probably wouldn't have been able to check their database for missing people out in the field. I think we should just hit up the station and start from there. You guys up for it?"

Riptide rolled his shoulders as he turned to his dish of food. He could smell the tangy aroma of freshly caught fish and meat and if it were possible, his mouth would be watering at the scent. He took a few bites, snapping up and gulping down the more acceptable palette of food than the tripe he had to suffer on the road.

"We should rest first. We had a long night. Even after being healed, I still feel like I got hit by a truck and ran over by a Rhyhorn right after for good measure."

Bullet whined his agreement and glanced at Lupin with a pleading gaze. She hesitated, and for the first time, Riptide actually looked at her. She had bags under eyes as though she hadn't slept in days. Her usually tanned face looked ashen, like she had wasted away years off her lifespan overnight. Everything about her seemed to show more about her true age than usual; the way her shoulders and body sagged, the lethargic way she regarded her surroundings.

It came to him, once more slower than he would have liked, but it came nonetheless as he realized why she looked so haggard: the full moon was almost upon them. She looked like this a day or two prior before, although at those instances, he hadn't paid as much care or attention to the details, but they had been there, he was sure of it.

"You need to rest as much as we do," he stressed more carefully, giving a side eye to their surroundings and the patrons close by. "Running around wasting what little energy you have now won't do you much good in the next few days. You saw the moon last night. I know you did."

She tilted her head, regarding him with another tired stare. If it were possible, her shoulders caved even more as she nodded. "Right…yeah, I get what you're saying. We'll…we'll take a rain check on that visit to the police department, then."

Riptide nodded, huffing in satisfaction. Bullet had paused in his feeding to look back and forth between Lupin and Riptide, confusion clearly written on his face. The Croconaw regarded the puppy pokémon briefly.

"The night of the full moon is when she changes, remember? She'll be gone for the night, but should be back by morning, before anyone else is awake."

She'd done it well enough in Violet City. He didn't see why it wouldn't work here. It was the more densely populated cities he worried about.

The rest of breakfast passed in a blur and the trek to their appointed room even more so. Even after the healing, Riptide and Bullet still felt exhaustion wriggling about their joints and bones, worming deep into their muscles and demanding a physical respite. Luckily, Lupin was feeling the same way, if only for other reasons. They all collapsed onto the twin bed in the room, Lupin barely pausing long enough to tug off her boots before curling up with Bullet against her belly and Riptide snoozing at her back.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The heady scent of campfire smoke perfumed the air, leaving her nose tingling pleasantly. A light wind whipped at her fur, and brought about more scent marks for her to sniff. A symphony was playing in her ears, a call of the wild, and she wanted to answer it in earnest. Lupin paused long enough to give a cursory glance over her shoulder, ears swiveling atop her head as she regarded the bejeweled little town to her backside all aglow with life. To the south the town continued, stretching out with sleepy fingers that dug into the land around it, while to the north was the untouched wilds that had yet to be assimilated. To the west lay the Ilex Forest, and oh, she wanted to race through those trees that towered high and proudly and blocked out everything, even the moon and the stars. But there would be time for that later, when she was ready to move on from this place.

It was inevitable to keep moving forward.

For now, she wanted peace away from humans while she still had her fur and the call to roam free was impatiently tugging at her now. She turned back to face the yawning, tangled expanse before her. She lurched forward, spurred to listen to instinct, but stopped short only a few meters away when something came on the wind.

It was a foul, cloying stench with the hint of a coppery tang that heralded the images of blood and struggle, coming from the east. Curiosity tugged at her, and for a moment, she put off entering the forest proper again. Through the tangled underbrush she slunk through, as quick as a shadow until the reek was so strong, it made her eyes water and her snout crinkle in distaste until her fangs were showing.

Voices drifted in soon after, adding to the quiet night orchestra, until that was all she could hear. The insects chirring, the croak of toads, the whisper of the wind—it all came to a baited hush. She could smell a small score of humans mingling with the tainted stench of fear and pain and blood and hopelessness. It all crafted a sour taste in her mouth and it coated the back of her throat, crawling down into her lungs and back again. It was sickening, to say the least, but at the very least, it wasn't _human_ blood. That would have made it nearly _unbearable_ to her nose. It just didn't smell _right_ to her.

It didn't take her long in her trek to come to the source of it all. The forest gave way to a deep impression in the earth, the sides lined with packed down earth trodden in the likeness of footpaths. At the center of the depression, a large and simple stone well sat. It wasn't grand or impressive, but it was wide, wider than the average well should have been. Scanning over the area, Lupin's muzzle twitched as a wind finally stirred, as though daring to break the silence, even if only for a moment. The leaves in the tree danced in the respite before falling still once more.

She didn't have to strain herself to pinpoint the source of the voices, but it puzzled her. They were coming from inside the well. So was the source of the rotten stench.

Humans, she could smell. There was also the gentle slap of water repeating over itself in the background. She could hear the soft noises of animals as well, moans and whimpers. Farther out, near the opposite lip of the ridge, she could make out a pair of sentries, standing guard side by side along with their pokémon, as though guarding it. She snorted. It would be easy to slip in, and yet…

This place had a bad air about it, and it wasn't just the smell of it. Something was wrong. The sentries, the cries of pain and mewls for help, the scent of blood.

Core instinct urged her to go into the well. Find out more. Tear out the festering rot and patch up the bleeding wound. But a niggling sense of herself remained, battling with the wolf that promoted reckless abandon. It told her to wait until she had strength in numbers. The predator in her wanted to push aside the voice of reason, the small part of her that was even remotely human in resemblance pulled at her to stall charging in. That, and a certain little blue gator would chide her endlessly for doing something stupid again. She felt the nagging could be downplayed if she waited.

That, and her stomach was giving twinges of protest every now and then, demanding to be filled and soon. She needed food to replenish the energy she'd wasted after the full moon had risen and triggered her change. With a silent vow to return in full force, Lupin turned on her heel and made for the deeper forest, allowing the wolf within to take over for the hunt.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Bullet jumped with a start at the sound of a door slamming, but calmed the moment he saw the familiar dusky shadow standing in front of it and could smell the familiar aroma of his trainer. Riptide snorted and croaked, but didn't stir from his spot on the bed. Lupin stood there for nearly a minute, as though completely unsure of what to do, and it worried the Growlithe. He was almost ready to spring up and go to her side. She began to move before he did with a sudden lurch toward the adjoining bathroom. He remained tense, contemplating, before he quietly got up and leapt off the bed.

Padding toward the bathroom, the shower turned on as he approached, but Lupin had yet to turn on the light. He found her seated on the toilet, the seat closed and her form hunched over with exhaustion. He could smell it on her as well. That, as well as blood from a fresh kill. Not pokémon, not that he could tell anyway.

"Lupin?"

She didn't move at first, but finally stirred when he called her name once or twice more. It was still early, the sun not even up yet. Very little light was filtering into the room, never mind the bathroom. He could just make out her features. Carefully, Bullet crept forward, Lupin's gaze never leaving him but it didn't look like she was fully comprehending he was there. He paused, just inches from one of her dangling hands. He pressed forward; gladdened when her reaction was to scratch his head and not push him away. He licked at her scarred wrist and she sighed.

"Hey," she croaked back belatedly, rubbing at one of his ears. "Sorry…'M just a little tired, Bullet. I'll be out in a minute, just…wait for me. Okay?"

The Growlithe hesitated.

"What did you do?" He responded softly. He had never seen her…well, Riptide had called it her other face: a wolfish beast that stood on two legs with scars all over and yellow flashing eyes. He found it hard to imagine that the small woman before him could turn into some giant monster.

"Hunted…found some elk not that far in the forest…ran along a river for a while and…" She paused, her brow furrowing in puzzlement. "I smelled death. There was…there was a hole in the ground, with…it was a well at the bottom. I…can't remember…"

Bullet whined, alarmed at her admission.

"No, no, no, don't forget, you can't forget—what was it? Tell me!"

His heart hammered in his chest and rushing blood was pounding away in his ears, making it harder to hear her soft response.

"I'm fine, Bullet, just…it's hard to remember what I do in that other…form. I think I found something bad east of Azalea, just outside of town," she replied. It quelled his panic a little, but not by much. He continued to whine in concern. She rubbed at his head again to comfort him. "I'm okay, I promise. I'm not forgetting. I'm remembering, don't worry. Just give me a few more minutes to gather myself."

He wasn't entirely convinced, but she did sound tired. Maybe if she showered and rested, she'd feel better. Bullet gave a nod. "Okay. Just…don't forget anything."

Lupin offered him a smile, patting his head one last time and hauled herself to her feet, slowly stripping off her clothes. Bullet left her as the air began to grow muggy in the bathroom from the shower.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	26. Chapter Twenty Five: Break In

**Chapter Twenty-Five:****  
****Break In**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**Note: Attention! Do not panic! I have changed my username to '_The Shay-Shay_', formerly Captain Lupin Ferus! I am still me! **

**Ahem. Moving on. Ahhhh, FC, you made me feel all warm and fuzzy again with your review! So many puzzles, yes there are. XD I wish I could reveal more, but I can't, not without ruining other things to come, at least. But yes, I'll agree, poor Bullet is young and whatnot, so understandably, he'd be upset about a thing such as loss of memory. Everything else, you'll just have to wait and see how things pan out as they come along, but things shall be coming together piece-by-piece, that much I can promise. All in all, I'm very glad you're enjoying the story and you like my writing! I'm really trying here, and if at least one person likes it, that's enough for me. :) It must mean I'm doing something right!**

**And thank you to DarkHammer as well, I'm glad you are also enjoying the story, so I guess that makes two! I'm on a roll, hooray! XD **

**Although, I will add, I have art and personal headcanons on a Tumblr account solely dedicated to this story! The link is in my profile. Sneak peeks show up there often. You can even ask characters questions by submitting them to the ask box, so if you want to ask Riptide or Bullet or even Lupin a question, then send them out! **

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_Now think real hard. You been bird-doggin' this township awhile now. They wouldn't mind a _corpse_ of you. Now, you can luxuriate in a nice jail cell, but if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet, I _will_ end you."  
_**-Captain Malcolm Reynolds, "**_**Firefly**_**"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Wait, what do you mean the gym leader _isn't_ here?"

The official stared down at Lupin, a twitch in his temple belying his annoyance. With forced patience and gritted teeth, he responded, "Gym Leader Bugsy _isn't here_. He's attending his _other_ duties as a bug-type pokémon researcher in the Ilex Forest. You want to battle him so badly, then good luck finding him while stumbling around in there. Otherwise, I suggest you wait for him to get back, which will be in a few days. Your choice, _ma'am_."

The glowering giant continued to stare beadily down at the smaller woman before him, who looked just as irate. Lupin scowled and turned on her heel, uttering soft compliance that she'd wait. Riptide and Bullet followed closely on her heels. She didn't even correct the man that she wasn't there to battle, she was there for information. It probably wouldn't have made much of a difference to him, or he wouldn't believe her.

"That was utterly pointless," Riptide spat. He was almost looking forward to the thought of possibly battling. The distraction of Lupin's earlier news was keeping his thoughts from focusing on it completely. He tilted his head to glance up at the werewolf. She was still slightly paler than usual, but she looked better. "The station had no leads. The gym associates aren't going to cooperate until Bugsy gets back. There aren't very many places left."

"The Slowpoke Well. We're heading there next."

That threw him for a loop. Bullet seemed to have a better idea than he did, which irked him.

"We're going now? To stop the evil?"

"'_Evil_?" Riptide would have crinkled his snout in distaste if he could. Instead he clacked his jaws loudly to gain the other two's attention. "What's going on?"

"I think something is happening outside of Azalea. That old man I told you about—he was heading there. And last night, I think I found something when I was…out."

"Found what, exactly? An 'evil' entity, I presume?"

Lupin cast him an annoyed glare. "It's still jumbled, but I smelled blood. And fear. It wasn't the smell of a predator just taking down prey, it was…worse. Like a mindless slaughter. Remember that guy on Route Thirty-Two, the one who tried to sell us that Slowpoke Tail?"

The gears clicked into place almost instantly. "The supply must be coming from the Slowpoke of Azalea. From the Slowpoke Well. There's an abundance of them here, but why no one would make the connection—how could anyone overlook that? You'd think the police would notice, that people would complain, like the old man."

"People might be scared or have been intimidated into silence. And the dealers might be conducting business behind closed doors or well away from sight to avoid being scrutinized or watched. That one man—he must have been unlucky to end up on the roads trying to sell what he had left off. Or he was independent, trying to cash in on the bandwagon."

It was all speculation, but the theory seemed sound enough. Slowpokes had been a part of the Endangered Pokémon Species List, once upon a time. Slowpoke tails had been delicacies to the rich in Johto and Kanto and imported edible goods to other regions at one point in the past. The time period escaped him, but they began their comeback right here in Azalea and their distribution to other regions had spread out since then. He recalled Professor Elm once rattling off names of pokémon that had been at one point in history or another, in danger of dying out, only to make a comeback later on.

"Have you gathered any information on this Team Rocket group yet? You also mentioned the old man prattling about it before he took off."

Lupin considered for a moment, pausing in her trek down the sidewalk. A man behind her made a disgruntled noise at her sudden stop and shuffled around quickly, giving her an annoyed glare as he went. A pompous looking white dog followed after him, its fluffy white coat glistening in the sun, while its black-furred face was upturned with its nose in the air.

"Shit." She finally muttered, clenching her fists. "_Fuck_."

Immediately she fished out her pokégear and scrolled through the phone number selections on the screen. The list was short, suffice to say and a few seconds later, she was waiting for the professor to pick up. It rang and rang, but no answer was forthcoming. She hung up, tried another lab extension, but Phillip wasn't picking up either. Where are they?

She hung up, shaking her head at the other two waiting. Bullet's ears folded back, a whine building up at the back of his throat. Riptide issued forth a quiet hiss between parted jaws.

"No answer. So…here's our dilemma. Do we waste time trying to get information on them, or do we go charging in, all a-blaze and whatnot? Or something like that. Maybe not quite like that."

With a satisfying smack on his snout, Riptide groaned. Then he realized he could touch his own snout and felt all the more proud about it, if only for a few seconds. He filed away the useful information for later glee.

"Or we could just move on to Goldenrod City and allow the Azalea law enforcement to take care of their own problems. It's not our place to go meddling in the affairs of others. We've done enough."

Lupin stared, boggled at the Croconaw as though she didn't quite recognize him. Shock and hurt went across her face after the confusion passed and it lingered. He hated that look on her face. He wanted it gone. Even Bullet gave him a disappointed whimper. The sound peeved him.

"I'm not trying to be intentionally cruel by telling you off," he pressed, carefully choosing his next words. "There's law enforcement for a _reason_. They're the ones who should handle these types of things. If criminal activity is going on, then you should report it, not handle it yourself. It's the _smart_ thing to do. We shouldn't be charging in like we had the other night. We were nearly killed. You aren't always going to have a powerful beast like that Charizard watching your back when danger comes around."

His red eyes flicked between the two, seeing that it was a losing battle. He hated losing almost as much as he hated the look of disappointment. Riptide took in a measured breath as he continued, taking advantage of the silence. "We should inform the authorities of possible criminal activity. But anonymously. So you don't reveal how you found out. We can't have them knowing…what you are."

There was a long silence that followed his words, and it felt like it was piercing at them all, sharp and unyielding. It made his scales itch uncomfortably. Bullet stared at the Croconaw for a lengthy time, feeling torn. He knew the other's logic seemed sound enough, but Riptide wasn't the trainer. He didn't make the decision. That fell squarely on Lupin and he yielded to her decisions. It was the way things were, wasn't it? She made the ultimate choices of where they went, complaints or not. But that didn't mean she didn't listen to them first.

Bullet looked between the Croconaw and the werewolf, much the same as what Riptide was doing himself, waiting.

After another minute of tense silence, Riptide issued a forced sigh of resignation.

"You still want to try, regardless, don't you?"

"The police won't respond quickly enough. If it's a tip of possible activities…" Lupin shook her head, looking doubtful. "If we send them out and they're redirected, things might continue to carry on the way they have been. I smelled blood, Riptide…I smelled _suffering_. I heard voices crying for help. I can't ignore that, and I can't just explain that away to the cops in an anonymous tip. They'll either think I'm crazy and ignore it, or they might…"

Her jaws clamped shut, the werewolf closing her eyes to compose herself and to allow a small crowd to pass them by. Barely anyone passed her anything beyond a sparing glance as they continued on with their own lives. After a moment's respite, her mismatched eyes opened again. Bullet whined and leaned against her leg.

"I can't just ignore that and walk away. That would have been like…like me leaving you to those Spinarak and the Ariados and saving myself, thinking you were a lost cause and not worth helping."

The Croconaw stared at her, jaw agape and eyes wide. Abruptly, he braced his jaws shut with a sharp clack after a full minute of staring. Quickly, he averted his gaze and gusted breath through flared nostrils.

"That was a low blow," he muttered with a low grumble. His head snapped back up at the scuffle of her boots coming closer and he found her kneeling down in front of him. She reached up and placed her hand on the crown of his head, her lips pursed and brows furrowed. Bullet peeled around her, coming closer.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to. I don't want to force either of you into something else that could be dangerous. But I'm going to help those Slowpokes down at the well. I can't _not_ help them, I just…don't know how to explain it. I'd like it if you came with me, though."

He groaned and croaked low in his throat, his shoulders slumping forward in final defeat. He noticed Bullet's tongue lolling happily from his mouth at that. Riptide wanted to claw the look on the stupid fluffball's face. And that arrogant gleam in his eyes. Scared or not, Bullet would probably follow Lupin to the ends of the earth and back again.

"…fine. Fine. I'll go. But no more stupidity like the last few times."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

She smiled sweetly, innocently.

_Right_.

Innocent, his ass.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"There's only one guard. Last night there were two. It must be double the security measures at night in case of an attack."

From a distance, Lupin and her two pokémon observed the entrance to the Slowpoke Well. The guard had yet to notice he was being watched. That much was good. Everything was going smoothly…so far.

"I smell…and hear at least…half a dozen people down there…. And the guard ahead has only got two pokéballs on him."

"You can tell all of that? Just after a few minutes of watching?" Bullet gaped. Lupin shrugged.

"It's still kind of jumbled, but yeah. These ears of mine aren't for decoration. That much I've figured out. It's kind of annoying sometimes, though, when I can hear somebody two or three floors above or below us doing…erm…well, you don't need to know all that. That's grownup stuff. And…human-y stuff."

Bullet canted his head to the side, a question on his lips, but he bristled when Riptide abruptly snapped his jaws, sharp and loud.

"We should move out before we lose our element of surprise. I'd like to get this done and over with as fast as possible." Tilting his head a little, he offered a crooked smile to his trainer, his red eyes shining with a bit of glee. Perhaps this would be a fortuitous experience for him to gain from. "Unless you have any objections to that and wish to drag this out like the other night's escapades."

He eyed her pointedly, to which she had the grace to look somewhat embarrassed and avoid his gaze. He croaked out a laugh and motioned with a claw to move forward. Complying, the three moved out into the open, taking to the road amiably enough. It wasn't unusual for travelers to come and go from Azalea, and that's just the illusion they wanted to create. The sentry at the entrance to the well looked disinterested and bored, even from a distance. Even as they carried on closer, he didn't appear all too concerned. Instead, he had his attention buried in his pokégear, playing a game of some sort. It was only when they were within a few feet of him did he finally seem to register that he wasn't alone.

The man was taller than her, but only a few years younger, perhaps. Garbed in a uniform of long-sleeved black, the only sign of colour was the large crimson 'R' on the front of his shirt. It was unsettling. He looked clean, but her nose told her otherwise. She could smell the reeking stench of blood on him.

"H-Hey, stop, stop! You can't go into the Slowpoke Well."

She eyed him a moment longer before putting on a smile.

"Really? I heard it's a great tourist stop from some locals in Azalea. I missed it my first time in. Thought I'd drop by before I left for Goldenrod."

"There was a minor cave-in deeper inside. Some pokémon were trapped, we've got crews on site trying to clear the rubble and put up new support beams to protect this delicate environment. We're trying to keep a low profile and we'd appreciate it if we weren't disturbed all the time by nosy trainers."

He sounded awfully convincing and sincere. But from the way his eyes flicked and the light sheen of sweat beading his brow, she didn't need her nose to tell her that he was nervous. It was a cloying scent, almost like sour sweat and chalk crumbling together. His hand dipped down to waist, fiddling with the pokéballs mounted on the magnets there. Lupin allowed a moment's respite to pass between them, before giving him a disappointed look.

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can do to help? I'm sure if there were more people…"

"No, we've got plenty of people working down there. The last thing we need is an untrained greenhorn running around underfoot. Now scram!"

Another feigned expression of dissatisfaction flashed across her face. She turned on her heel to go, but paused halfway in her pivot, a finger brought up to thoughtfully tap her lips.

"Oh, sorry, I did have one more question…"

He looked visibly annoyed, with his brows creased together tightly to the clench in his jaw and the flash of ire in his eyes.

"What?"

Boredom laced his voice just as much as the irritation did.

That meant he was probably complacent.

Complacency kills.

Lupin lashed out quicker than he could blink, her fist connecting squarely with his gut first in a sharp right hook, then another hit to his temple when he doubled over. The blow sent him flying like a rag doll, limbs flailing without control as he went. The body landed away and to the side of the well's depression, still and prone where it lay. Lupin flexed her fingers. There wasn't even a sting in her knuckles from the blows she landed. She glanced back over toward the out-cold man. She could hear breathing from where she stood. They were pained and stilted even with his unconscious state, but he was alive. She didn't sympathize about the headache he'd most definitely be sporting later on.

Quickly, she dropped to a knee and her pack on the ground at the same time, fishing out the length of rope she had bought. It cost her next to nothing, it was almost laughable. Throwing the pack back on, she scurried over to the man and trussed him up quick as a wink. After that, she dragged him out of sight and into the snarled underbrush on the side of the road. All the while, Bullet and Riptide waited, somewhat in a state of shock.

She hadn't even broken a sweat. Bullet wasn't sure if that was amazing or not. Riptide didn't know if he should be worried or not. Lupin seemed to move automatically and with a purpose, as though her body was remembering motions that her mind clearly didn't. When she came trotting back to them, he was the first to stir, looking between her and the place where she'd hidden the man.

She misinterpreted his look. "What? I didn't want to sic you guys on him. No more repeated shenanigans like last time." She gazed at him more so now. "Bullet told me about the poacher you bit. You should have gone after the pokémon instead, Riptide."

He ignored her jab. Like she was one to talk. He'd point it out later.

"You've done this before, haven't you?"

The Croconaw motioned with a flick of his snout toward the bushes. An earnestly lost look came over her then, as though she was suddenly realizing what she had done as well.

"I…I don't remember. I just…did it. It felt…" Lupin looked to her hands, discomfort and unrecognizability creeping in over her features as well. "I-I don't know anymore. It's gone. I wanted to say 'right' but…I don't think that's the accurate word for it."

She shuddered, but it was neither cold nor windy. Her hands dropped to her sides and she looked away, purposefully perhaps. Her focus returned to the well entrance proper below. "Let's go. We can worry about all that later."

"You can hear them too," Bullet queried softly, startling Riptide. The Growlithe hadn't said much the closer they had gotten to the well. In fact, he looked rather forlorn. His ears were folded back, his tail dragging on the ground, and his posture slumped and small. Lupin nodded as she motioned for them to follow.

"I can hear them crying."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

It was dark down inside, but there were some manners of light inside. Man-made touches had been implemented into the well's structure, giving it a slightly modern feel without taking away too much of the traditional feel. There were small lights imbedded in the walls or floors, lighting the way deeper along a designated path. The well had a cave structure deeper inside, filled with pools of cavern lake water and damp stone. Bullet tiptoed lightly across the wet rocks and gravel that made up the solitary path inside. Riptide felt right at home in the environment. It was wet and slightly cold, but not too uncomfortably so. But it was not a place he could actually call home; he'd much prefer a river over a cave dwelling any day.

Lupin led the way, but the deeper they went, the stronger the blood-stench became. Even Riptide couldn't ignore it. With the amount that hung heavy in the air, he almost expected to find piles of bodies around this bend or that boulder. Instead, they found about half a dozen men and women in a more open area, herding several pink pokémon into a makeshift fenced-in corral. Some had sheathed knives strapped to their belts alongside their pokéballs and they wore the same uniform emblazoned with a large red 'R' on the fronts of their shirts. _'R' for 'Team Rocket', no doubt,_ Lupin reasoned.

There were other pink pokémon separated in another corral not from the first one. Riptide hissed softly. The ones being herded were whole and complete. The others in the adjacent pen weren't. Stumps where their tails had been were hastily wrapped up, but the attempts looked clumsy. Most with white linen bandages were wet and dark with blood. The normally dopey-looking expressions that Slowpoke was mostly well known for were completely replaced by grimaces of pain. Some were shaking and crying softly; others were completely still and quiet.

Bullet growled quietly, his hackles bristling and fur on end. Lupin looked much the same; her tail was puffed up all the way to its tip, making it appear larger than normal. Riptide promptly turned and gave it a good bite. It frazzled beneath him, before flattening out in surprise and pain, the werewolf's focus on him.

"Rip!" She called in a hushed voice, glaring at him.

He pulled a small clump of fur that came with him as he released her tail.

"Focus. Take out the trainers first. Then worry about the hurt pokémon. Not the other way."

The flash of anger in her mismatched eyes quelled, before she gave a grudging nod to him.

"Let's go, then."

She stepped out into the open and shuffled along toward the small party of men and women. Most paused, boggled, while only one stepped forward in a hurry. She noticed one near the back of the group pulling off a walkie-talkie from his belt and softly murmuring into it to radio in their guard outside. She almost smiled when she heard the telltale panic creeping into his voice when he received no responses the first few times. Lupin cut off the one that was approaching her.

"Don't bother with your fake story. I already clocked your guard upstairs and you're going down next."

Her words set them all on edge. Those that were still herding the Slowpoke hurriedly kicked the rest into the gate before locking it. Bullet snarled, startling them. The man closest to them transformed from somewhat suspicious to full-blown enraged. He plucked a pokéball from his belt, his expression a mixture of thunderous and smug.

"You're gonna regret coming down here, then, you little punk. I'm gonna make you wish you never left home, just like that old man from the other day."

Lupin glanced at Bullet. The Growlithe looked up at her and she gave him a small nod. He leapt forward, while Riptide settled beside the werewolf. She looked back up at the Rocket grunt with a cool expression.

"Bring it on, you little bitch. I'm gonna wipe the cave floors with you and your little cronies."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

This was certainly a surprise. Not to mention annoying. Work wasn't getting done. That meant sales weren't being conducted, either. Their stock of Slowpoke tails weren't going to sell themselves, what little they had to deliver. And they had quite a few buyers lined up, demanding a taste of the delicacies. What a pretty price they fetched for such a small and seemingly insignificant thing. But then again, Slowpoke had been placed on the Endangered Pokémon Species List for a reason, once upon a time.

The battles below were raging on, but the cave around them upheld itself admirably enough. It has been here for hundreds of years, weathered and carved up by battles alone, never mind the natural elements within. He had no worries of a cave-in, but he had certainly taken care of the locals to an extent, and any wandering or traveling trainers.

And yet…now he had _this_ mess to deal with. His grunts weren't being beaten by some nobody traveler, he was convinced of that much. Geysers of flame and pillars of water took out all his workers until there was only one left standing, and it was the challenger. He flicked his gaze toward the Slowpoke and scowled. He hated it when plans crumbled apart before coming to full fruition. If it wasn't one thing, it was another one entirely.

They still needed some funding to complete the rest of their plans to rise back up. Team Rocket was down, but they certainly weren't going to stay that way. Not when they were _so close_.

When all fell silent, only then did he stir. Carefully, he dusted imaginary lint off of himself and stepped closer toward the small woman. She wasn't anything extraordinary. She was in well-worn clothing: a faded tank top, an equally worn out pair of cargo pants, hiking boots that had seen better days, and ditto went for the long coat and hat she sported. The only thing remarkably noticeable about her was the scar on her face, but that was about it. As soon as he finished her off, he'd most likely soon forget her and this whole encounter completely.

The rest of his grunts were a completely different story, however. They were strewn about the place, knocked out or lying off to the sides, nursing their bruised egos and bodies. Once defeated, his grunts had charged her in hopes of taking her out physically, but she merely swatted them aside. Perhaps that was one other thing that marked her as a tad different. She was strong and quick, like a little Machop. She was more than just a simple trainer, she seemed to be a fighter to boot.

Funny. She didn't _look_ it.

She noticed him almost off the bat as he came closer. Her Croconaw and Growlithe focused on him as well, tense and waiting. They were still fit enough for another round, perhaps, but he doubted they'd last long. They were starting to wear down after several consecutive battles in a row.

"I do hate a mess as much as the next gent and you have clearly made quite a big one. I think I'm going to have to break out the heavy duty stuff to clean your grime up off my cave floor. There won't be a piece of you left once I've finished up. It wouldn't do to have a loose end such as yourself meddling in the affairs of Team Rocket."

The Croconaw hissed like the brute it was, red eyes gleaming with challenge. The Growlithe's muzzle had pulled into an ugly snarl, blue eyes bright and beckoning for another round.

"I highly doubt that, dude. If anything, it's gonna be you on the cave floor by the time I'm done. And then the cops are gonna clean you up and cart you off to jail."

Carefully, he tugged a pokéball from his belt and studied it as she spoke. The red-and-white finish was smooth and polished, and just above the release button, he noted the small engraving. Tiny bat wings spread as though ready to take flight. He smiled and flicked his eyes to the irksome female.

"Doubtful. Now, let's carry on, shall we, and see who has the real weight to throw around and back up their claims. Echo, let's start off with a supersonic attack. Confuse our opponents."

He threw the pokéball, engaging in the battle first. His Zubat formed and was out in a wink, already pumping its wings and charging up its attack. The air distorted and his ears rang from the sudden screech that filled the air. The woman covered her head, her jaw clenched tightly. The other two didn't fare as well either.

Proton continued to smile, but it twitched for a moment, when the Growlithe stepped forward and let out a mighty flood of flame and embers to spit from his maw.

"Echo, dive down and avoid that attack, quickly now!"

His Zubat dove, but it was a second too late. Fire raked across the bat pokémon's backside. He could see the scorched and blackened flesh. He could see it sizzling even in this dimness. The Zubat screeched and whined in pain, barely able to keep pumping its wings.

"Bite attack, Bullet!"

Too quickly, the Growlithe was airborne, taking a great leap to pounce on his pokémon. Echo went down with barely a moment's notice, taking into the jaws of the slobbering dog. There was a final scream before a rapid hush rang. The Growlithe backed away quickly enough to allow Proton the good grace to retrieve his pokémon. How _kind_.

The puppy pokémon switched out with the Croconaw as though on silent cue. The big brute was over half the woman's height and he looked…well, now that Proton was watching them all a little more closely, the Croconaw was rather large to be sure. He must have been a breeder's pride. Wild pokémon never seemed to grow quite as large as a trained pokémon, especially when raised by breeders.

Those red reptilian eyes looked smug. He didn't like it when another opposing pokémon looked at him like that. He was going to make this little woman and her pokémon pay dearly for their insolence.

"Let's finish this, Arsenic. Flood this cave with a smokescreen!"

The air was clear until his Koffing came into the ring. Immediately, the poison gas pokémon did as it was bid and flooded the open space with a thick, porous and oily black smoke. Even the soft glow of the path lights were muted until they disappeared in the haze. He took a few measured steps away from the creature and the roiling smokescreen, but was satisfied to hear coughing from the other side. Arsenic floated closer toward him, still trailing wisps of smoke as it finished. It's perpetually smiling visage turned toward him, perhaps looking for approval. He merely motioned back toward the smoke-covered battlefield.

"Get back in there and finish them off. Use whatever means necessary. Poison, explosion, I don't care which way you choose."

The Koffing only bobbed in the air before propelling itself forward, gliding silently back into the fray. The coughing on the other side ceased, but he heard nothing else. Perhaps he heard a few orders issued, but everything said was bouncing every which way now with the disturbance between them. Surely the woman would be stupid enough to try something? Most trainers would, especially when it concerned poison-types like Koffing. There was a sudden roar, the sounds of thrashing, a few vaguely familiar groans from Arsenic, a wild spray of water dazzling the air, and then nothing.

The silence continued to fall upon him, battering his ears and clanging about in his mind until he felt he'd go mad. The smokescreen continued to linger, but it was beginning to dissipate. They weren't meant to last very long. He could just vaguely make out the woman and her Growlithe on the other side, but oddly enough, the Croconaw was missing. So was Arsenic.

An abrupt explosion ripped through the air, rippling forward and tearing at him from the sidelines. It was just the concussive wave, nothing harmful enough beyond ruffling him. It had come from farther away, thankfully, but it had also come from the cavern lake, well away from the cave floor's makeshift battlefield. Immediately he rushed over, searching the water's surface. It was too dark here, beyond the little glowing lights and the path. All he saw was black glass rippling beyond. The smokescreen was gone now and the woman came to the water's edge on her side of the field.

"Riptide?"

Water shattered upwards at her mere inquiring, admitting that brutish Croconaw onto land. He hissed low in his throat, Arsenic trapped in his jaws. The Koffing was out cold. Water poured from spouts where gasses should have been eking from. Proton felt his blood run cold at the sight.

The Croconaw spat his Koffing out with an almost dismissive toss of his broad skull. With a shaking hand, he returned Arsenic to his pokéball.

"Boss…"

He turned on his heel toward the voice. One of his men was picking himself up and moving to another one coming to. The others were doing much the same, or picking up their unconscious partners and sagging beneath their weight.

"I think we should get outta here. This—we're done here. Punk's put us out on our asses. No way we can keep this operation going."

He disliked it when an underling was correct, but he'd be an idiot if he suggested otherwise. He gave a curt nod. The woman moved quickly back onto the path, blocking it with her team.

"I don't think so. I told you before. You're leaving all right, but it's gonna be in cuffs and in the back of a squad car. You're not walking away from this scot-free."

She seemed annoyingly determined to see that through. Proton narrowed his eyes.

"I don't believe you understand what is going to happen. You're going to let us leave, or we'll make you, by force."

She laughed at that.

The sound grated on his nerves.

"Gentlemen…ladies. I believe now's the moment we should take our leave. Ready yourselves."

Those who were awake dug into pockets and produced eye-protection augments and fit them squarely onto their faces. Proton did the same, and pulled out an additional item. It was a simple canister with a pull-pin and lever at the top. He pulled the pin and let it drop, keeping his fingers pressed down on the lever.

"Goodbye, miss. It _hasn't_ been much of a pleasure, but trust me when I say, that if we meet again in the future, you won't be shown the mercy of our retreat."

He released the lever and threw the canister at her. At first, he was dignified with her confusion. He closed his eyes on reflex, and several seconds later the boom of the canister exploding went off. The flash bang would be enough to cover their escape for the next few minutes. They'd have to hump it on foot to their vehicle almost a quarter of a mile away, but no matter. This head start would be enough.

Quickly, the others made for the exit. One of them took a wailing swing at the woman and for all her scrappy attitude, she still went down. He doubted it was from the actual hit, however, and more the wobbly affect from the flash bang still searing in her eyes and the ringing in her ears. The woman hit the ground all the same, surprised groan and all. The grunt looked ready to take another swing, but Proton moved in quickly enough to stop him.

"We don't have time for petty revenge, as much as I'd like to myself. We only have a few minutes and no combat-ready pokémon, _so move it_."

He almost wanted to snatch up the Croconaw and the Growlithe both, but they weren't immobilized properly. And a thrashing, confused pokémon could hurt someone else as much as they can hurt themselves. He continued along, stepping around the whining Growlithe and made for the exit after his underlings.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six: The Azalea Hour

**Chapter Twenty-Six:****  
****The Azalea Hour**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own ****_Pokémon_**** in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**Note: Apologies for the mild hiatus, I am currently in the middle of a fiscal year changeover at work, and also away at a month-long course that heaps on the homework by the cartload! **

**As far as story notes go, I'm trying not to linger too long in towns, so we can move forward with storylines. I also don't want to hurry plotlines along, but some areas just aren't meant to be drawn out. **

**And yes, ****_Darkhammer_****, Team Rocket are cowards. They'll get their comeuppance one day soon, however. :P**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_Who's side are you on, anyway?"  
"I know what it's like to live with something unresolved. That's all."  
"Congratulations. You just described the _entire_ planet."_**  
-Peter Bishop and Olivia Dunham, "****_Fringe_****"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Of all the harebrained—"

"Uh-huh…"

"—stupid—"

"Right…"

"—_idiotic_—"

"Hey, now that's just mean."

"Quote-unquote '_rescues_' I have _ever_ seen in my life—"

"Now you're really hurting my feelings."

"You have got to be the one that takes the cake, because that was the _stupidest_ attempt I have ever seen!"

Lupin mock pouted at the older man as she feigned undoing his ropes. He groaned and griped about being careful with his old bones, and more or less, she complied. Finally done playing the part of useless fiddling, she tore at one loose length and the rest came unraveling in a jumbled pile. The old man hissed and carefully pulled his hands out front, muttering under her breath and rubbing at his wrists.

"Bastards. The lot of them. They've defaced our sacred pokémon, _mutilated_ them for years to come."

He side eyed Lupin, lips drawn into a heavy frown that made the lines of his face seem deeper than usual. His gaze slid to her pokémon beyond them, carefully working at the pen doors to get them open. The Slowpoke still whole were crying out, voices overlapping one another, little words of thanks cropping up the most. The others whose tails had already been taken were being tended to now by Kurt, working furiously to staunch those still bleeding.

The werewolf, in the meantime, allowed him to continue his mutterings, not taking his words entirely to heart. He was upset and relieved, and the two were furiously combatting with one another at this point between thankfulness and aggravation. She was feeling the same, in all honesty.

_A flashbang. I got bested by a stupid flashbang grenade. I thought I was something better than a human._

She should have anticipated something like that. But she hadn't, and those bastards had gotten away. She would have gone after them, but the old man's wailing had redirected her priorities to helping him and the Slowpoke instead. After getting him loose, he was off like a pistol…a very slow, aching, bruised pistol that was. He hobbled off toward the pen toward the injured pokémon first, helping them and directing her to free the others while he did his work.

Now she could feel his eyes on her again and she turned to face the old man, finding him glaring at her once more.

_Oh, great. What now?_

As though reading her thoughts, he thrust an arm out, index finger pointed rigidly at the well's entryway.

"Go and call the police and pokémon medical services right now, young lady, before we lose any more of our Slowpoke! Hop to it!"

She held up her hands in immediate surrender, scurrying away to obey. She quickly clambered out to get a signal on her pokégear and after a few failed attempts at trying to call out, managed to finally get ahold of law enforcement and medical services. At first, the dispatcher had sounded wary and skeptical at her claims. At long last, however, he reluctantly offered to send out an officer and medical official to the Slowpoke Well.

After the call, she scampered back down to find most of the uninjured Slowpoke free of their constraints, while Kurt continued to help nurse those of the incapacitated pen. Her pokémon remained at a distance from the old man, eying him warily. He didn't seem to notice or care at the moment, but when he laid eyes on her, he motioned for her to come forth impatiently.

Hesitantly, Lupin approached, only to be yanked down to his level on the hard rocky ground. A pink otter-like creature was thrusted into her lap and her hand roughly manipulated toward the animal's rump. "Come here, put pressure on this one's backend, she's beginning to bleed again. Hurry, come along now, I don't have all night!"

Blood seeped from the wound, oozing from through the bandages, hot and slick. The creature in her lap squirmed pitifully and trying to escape her grasp, whimpering all the while. Kurt moved onto another, frantic to check them all, muttering obscenities under his breath as he went.

"They don't feel their tails being cut off right away. Their pain nerves are wired differently than ours. But they're feeling it now, just listen to them crying," Kurt huffed, moving from one to another, checking to see who was in need of immediate assistance. "And I'm betting they had their stash already packed away at another location. Otherwise we could've just reattached their tails."

He seemed to be speaking mostly to himself, perhaps a tic to calm his own nerves, but Lupin couldn't help but blurt out loud, "You can do that with these guys?"

Kurt snorted at the werewolf's sudden inquiry, but paused to look at her curiously. Riptide gave her a reproachful look from behind the old man, and she clenched her jaw tightly, as though that could take back her carelessness. The cave wasn't incredibly expansive, but even the softest voice carried across and bounced off the walls. Kurt, however, had been so quiet and soft in his words, she doubted a human could have heard him even in this place.

Thankfully, Kurt turned back to his previous checkups.

"Of course. Slowpoke are unique and special. They saved our town from a dreadful drought four hundred years past. It had been going on for years before they saved us. Our water tables were spent and the only water left to us was the salty seas to our south and from the lakes and rivers deep in the Ilex Forest. Too deep for us to venture into and bring back in a timely manner, and certainly not enough to water us, let alone our apricorn orchards. Slowpoke are sacred to the people of Azalea. They are our loyal companions and saviors."

Lupin swallowed back any further questions, deciding it was best to research everything later on than to carry on stupidly with more questions. Now wasn't the time for a history lesson. She looked to the pokémon in her lap, who was still struggling weakly in her arms. Its coppery blood was strong, especially in this immediate proximity and it was making her head spin. She didn't find it, in any way, delectable to sniff. She doubted she'd want anything to do with eating one of these things, either.

It wasn't long before she could hear the drawn out wail of sirens heading their way. It wasn't much longer after that when voices carried off from a long distance heralded closer until they were coming down the well and inside. Kurt was shouting at the officers to hurry it along. A small word-war started up, but eventually the old man won out and within the hour, more officers and medical officials were on their way, flooding the well with their presence.

The little Slowpoke in Lupin's lap was taken away at last, limp and barely conscious. Riptide and Growlithe moved in closer, watching the swirl of organized chaos sweep around them. Kurt came to them after several minutes, offering a hand to the woman. Lupin declined and pushed herself up to her feet. The old man wasn't much taller than her, but it was enough for him to glower down at her.

The severe look he gave her was not enough to scare her, and after a moment of intense scrutiny, he seemed to realize this and huffed.

"Let's get this out of the way. Hopefully we'll be out of here before nightfall, if we're lucky."

He led her away without another word toward the leading investigator. She was mildly surprised to find it was the same officer who had helped her at the Charicific Valley. He was more surprised, which then quickly shifted into amusement. He thumbed the brim of his cover, a smile planting itself across his broad, square face. His Arcanine lingered close behind him, while a few other officers continued their work with the Slowpoke.

"Well, Miss Ferus. Fancy seein' you here. Seems like you got knack of sticking your nose in other people's business more often than naught. I don't suppose you're gonna be making it a habit, are you?"

Lupin offered the tall, barrel-chested man a nervous smile and shrugged. Riptide gave her a sidelong glance from the corner of his eye. Bullet was more preoccupied with staring in awe at the Arcanine planted behind the human police officer.

"Hopefully not," she eventually answered. Kurt continued to scowl before he snapped at them that they were wasting time. The officer frowned, but nodded all the same and offered to try and expedite the process of getting their testimonies. After noticing how Kurt was grimacing, he further added that he'd have an EMT look over them before releasing them.

"Hmph. This is nothing. You fall down once, you fall down a hundred or a thousand times before. I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Kurt, you could be seriously injured and not even know it until it's too late. Let the medical team look you over before you rush off again, all right?"

Kurt waved him off dismissively, but ultimately agreed to it. Somehow, Lupin felt that it wasn't so much an offer as it was an order coated with a honeyed tone of voice.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

An officer with a huge Pidgeot took her and Kurt back into Azalea City by evening. The sky was awash with colour, the last dregs of light bleeding into the horizon and disappearing behind the tall emerald arms of the Ilex Forest that reached skywards. The streetlights were coming on, one by one, wrapping the city up in a sleepy golden slumber until it was a shining jewel in the darkness, pinned between dark forest and mountain.

"Over there, right over there," Kurt directed the officer over the wind. Lupin glanced down over the bird's pumping wings, her heart pounding in her chest. Strangely enough, she didn't feel afraid of the massive height between herself and the city's grounds. It was more out of exhilaration and it felt…right. Or maybe that wasn't the most accurate description, but it was close enough. She felt more at home with the wind tugging at her and the fresh air filling her lungs.

The ride ended all too soon, and the Pidgeot and her trainer were descending fast at Kurt's direction. Almost immediately, she realized they were passing over the block of cityscape where the Pokémon Center was. She could even recognize the red-tiled roof from the air as they swooped away, heading further north of the city.

"Hey—do you think you could drop me off first, the center's right there—!"

If the officer heard, he gave no visible sign that he had. Kurt, however, spared her a glance, huffed a breath and turned back to give direction.

"Kurt, sir, we know where you live. Half the force knows where you live by now," the officer drawled in a faintly exasperated sigh.

"Don't you talk back, young man. Just get us down there and then you can be on your way."

The last leg of the flight came to a fast close as they honed in on a less industrialized, modern section of the city. There were open fields and orchards of trees blooming with fruits and flowers. There were fewer homes and properties they passed over as well. Nestled against the corners of the Ilex Forest, they came upon another household. The lights were on, and wood smoke poured from the chimney.

The last tendrils of light finally bled away and gave in to the velvety night, stars glimmering coldly in the sky above them as the Pidgeot landed at last. The lingering feelings of tingling exhilaration were fading just as fast as the light of day in Lupin, and soon she felt that yawning emptiness in her once again.

The feeling didn't linger long enough for her to dwell upon. Kurt hopped down from the Pidgeot and she remained on the giant raptor, watching the old man as he hobbled toward his home. He paused when he noticed he was the only one, and looked back at Lupin.

"Well?"

She stared, taken aback.

"Get down here, girl. I have something for you. Chop, chop!"

Hesitating, Lupin slowly slid down the back of the bird pokémon and waved her thanks to the police officer. He gave her a nod, as did the Pidgeot, before they took off into the night sky and sped away back toward Azalea City proper.

"Hurry it up, I don't have all night!"

Lupin turned at the voice and heaved a sigh, trotting after the old man. The front door swung open before either of them reached it. A young girl—a child really—stood in the doorway, clinging to the doorknob and staring out at them. She looked barely ten, decked out in yellow pajamas with cartoonish-looking penguins decorating them. Her auburn hair was tied back in pigtails, her blue eyes wide with relief.

"Grandfather! I thought I heard you out here!"

Kurt's demeanor changed entirely. His face softened and so did his gaze. The little girl trotted out on short legs towards her grandfather, throwing her arms around his middle. He laughed softly, returning the embrace and patting her head.

"Oh, Maisy. I told you I'd come back."

"It's been almost three days!"

Kurt chortled, leading the way back inside and taking Maisy's hand in his. "It has not, it's only been two."

"That's still a long time. I was alone…"

The older man laughed again and patted his granddaughter on her head.

"I'm sorry, Maisy. I never meant to be away as long as I have been. I'll make it up to you. I promise."

The little girl considered this as they stepped into the house. Lupin followed at a slower pace, already inhaling the scent of a fresher wave of wood smoke. It was heady and delicious, as was the smell of whatever was cooking inside. Stew, perhaps. The aroma made her realize how hungry she was and her stomach gave a grumble of protest at being empty to remind her as such.

Maisy finally seemed to realize that she and her grandfather weren't alone and turned her wide blue eyes toward Lupin. Curiosity filled them as they looked her up and down. Lupin gave an awkward wave, and offered a small smile.

"Grandfather, who's she?"

"Hm? Ah. Her. Yes, she helped me at the Slowpoke Well. It turned out that a group of very bad men really were there, hurting our sacred pokémon. She…managed to wrap things up when I couldn't do so."

The comment, though purposefully vague of detail, felt strangely humbling to the werewolf. The old man's expression was soft with his granddaughter and endearingly so. Those blue eyes continued to watch Lupin carefully, as though sizing the older woman up. Slowly, a smile began to crease the corners of her lips.

"Your pokémon must be strong, then! What kind do you have? And grandfather, why couldn't you take care of these bad men with your pokémon, what happened?"

"I fell down, Maisy dear. And the bad men took my pokémon before I could get to them. I suppose it was a good thing she came along and helped out, or something worse than what was happening could have occurred."

"Like the Slowpoke disappearing from town?"

"Yes, something worse than just our Slowpoke disappearing from town. Which reminds me, my dear…"

From the sleeves of his _hakama_, he withdrew a pokéball and gently deposited it in Maisy's hands.

"Here, Maisy. I got Pokey back for you, just like I promised."

The little girl gasped big and loud, clutching at the pokéball with fervor. "Oh, grandfather, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She immediately tossed it into the air and light coalesced, quickly taking shape into another Slowpoke. This one was, however, whole and healthy, if a little tired-looking. The Slowpoke turned its eyes toward Maisy and gave a belated cry of happiness to her. Maisy quickly scooped up the otter-like creature, hugging Pokey close. Kurt watched on with a faint smile tugging at his lips before he turned toward Lupin. His expression remained more or less the same; relaxed and comforted by the atmosphere, although a retention of his earlier gruffness remained present in his eyes.

"Now, as for you…you have my thanks for your help at the Slowpoke Well. As much as it pains me to admit, if you had not come, I fear I would still be down there, unable to do much except watch as those heathens desecrate our sacred pokémon. It could have been days or weeks, before the police force finally rallied their forces up to investigate things."

He kicked off his _geta_ and placed them by the front door's step, and motioned for her to follow. Noting that both Maisy and he were barefoot, Lupin did the same, carefully arranging her boots to by the step before pattering after the older man.

"You can let your pokémon out, if you wish. Maisy, please prepare the guest room for her, and set out some food for her pokémon."

"Yes, grandfather! C'mon, Pokey."

Maisy placed her Slowpoke down and hurried toward a set of _shoji, _where the scent of cooking meats and vegetables was strongest. The Slowpoke was delayed in its response, but it ambled along after the little girl nonetheless. Lupin gathered up her two pokéballs and released Riptide and Bullet. She allowed them a moment to adjust themselves.

"Hey guys. Just stick around here, okay? You'll get some food in a few minutes. I'll be back soon."

Riptide gave a soft snort and a tip of his snout, while Bullet woofed out his own agreement. Her lips flicked into a small smile before she followed after Kurt.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The array of colours before her were astounding. Beautifully hand-crafted and painted pokéballs each marked with their unique brand of strengths and catchability rate. Kurt had led her to his workshop in the back of his home. Lupin vaguely recalled the symbols from the course back in Violet City. The brief chapter that covered the various pokéballs aside from the common ones sold in the marts or malls across the country.

"These were made by apricorns, weren't they?"

Kurt's laugh was more bark than anything else, but he sounded pleased nonetheless.

"It's my craft, girl. I am perhaps the only one left in all of Johto who still creates pokéballs from apricorns. There are a few specialists in Kanto, but they aren't as traditional in their means of crafting them. Mass production devices, meant for the tourists that visit from other regions. Pah!"

Kurt moved to one shelf where a row of pokéballs were, their chassis painted obsidian and sleet blue. He plucked one off the shelf between weathered fingertips, rough from years of hard work.

"It roughly takes me a day to craft a dozen of these, true, but I put love into every one I've ever made. Can't same the same for the machine-manufactured rubbish they shove out of their factories in Kanto."

He let out another noise of disgruntlement before setting the pokéball in his hand back onto the shelf.

"I am in your debt for the help you provided me at the Slowpoke Well. I offer my services to you in the only way I know how. Whenever you wish to have a specialized pokéball made from apricorns, I will gladly provide you with just that. You can even send them via pokémon air mail to quicken the services, so long as I have a return address to send them to."

His smile was a little more genuine and it softened the rough, weathered lines on his severe face. It was strange kind of comfort to Lupin and she nodded at his offer. Today had certainly take on a surreal kind of quality. From beating up pokémon-maiming thugs to being offered pokéball crafting services by an elderly man, she wasn't sure which the strangest part of it all was.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

News of the events at the Slowpoke Well spread like wildfire across Azalea City, and soon across the nation of Johto and then the other regions shortly after that. Tongues wagged wherever she went, although the one consistent thing that she was grateful for was her identity had not been revealed. There was much speculation, but the police had done a rather surprisingly good job at keeping the details under wraps. Kurt was not so fortunate to escape the allegations. The morning after the events, his peaceful home by the Ilex Forest had flooded with news reporters, journalists, and cameras alike. They didn't stick around long when Kurt came out, wielding a long _bō _staff and threatening to sic all his pokémon on them if they didn't scatter to the winds.

She left later that evening under the cover of the night, even though Kurt and Maisy offered her another night's stay. She waved their generous offer away, not wanting to impose upon their hospitality any further than she already had.

The morning after leaving Kurt's, Lupin opted to try the police station for her case.

"Maybe the gym leader is back today, too," Bullet commented off-handedly as they strolled down sidewalk.

"It's a possibility. Perhaps someone managed to contact him in the middle of his training and he came back due to the recent events," Riptide conceded with a nod. He plodded along after the Growlithe and his trainer. He felt more at home on his hind legs the longer he walked, although the transition had been difficult at first. His entire posture felt wrong for a crocodilian. His legs were thick with corded muscle and his arms were much longer. If he didn't pay attention, he would stoop so low that his front claws scraped along the ground, nearly bringing him back to all fours out of habit.

Lupin offered to carry him if he ever felt uncomfortable, although each time he waved her away, determined to master this strange new posture as a more permanent one. As a Totodile, he felt more at ease on all fours than on his hind legs. Now as a Croconaw, he'd have to adapt.

Riptide scratched at his scaly belly, watching as Bullet darted ahead, back and forth, to sniff at this tree or to greet that pokémon and their trainer strolling along beside them. The Croconaw reeled when something tapped his head and he back-stepped with a surprised hiss, jaws gaping. Lupin paused mid-step, staring at him with a bemused grin. Her hand was outstretched toward him, but she was quietly pulling it back with her fingers curling into her palm.

"Uh…earth to Riptide?"

He closed his jaws with a clack, gushing air noisily through his nostrils.

"We're here. And it looks like we're not alone."

He blinked slowly at her, not quite processing what she had said at first, but when she motioned across the street, he understood. The Azalea City Police Department was indeed swamped. Reporters with their microphones, news vans, cameras and phones were all creating a clamour at the foot of the steps of the department. The chief himself was standing at a podium out in front of the double doors, his Arcanine standing beside him like a silent sentinel. The low drone of voices trying to talk over one another to be heard. Some people along the streets stopped to stare as well, although they didn't linger for too long.

Bullet was enraptured by the giant, his blue eyes wide and focused solely on the Arcanine. Lupin sighed above them both, frowning to herself.

"Looks like we might have to wait a while," she murmured, looking disappointed for only a brief moment. "Maybe we should look into the gym leader first. If we kill some time there, this crowd might be gone by the time we get back."

Bullet whined, dancing in place as he glanced between the crowd and his trainer.

"What in the seven hells is wrong with you," Riptide snapped his jaws sharply, drawing the puppy pokémon's attention toward him. Bullet stared wide-eyed and taken aback, uncertainty colouring his face. He looked between Lupin and Riptide, then back at the crowd beyond.

"I…I want to be an Arcanine! I just need a Fire Stone, right? Can we get one? Please, Lupin?"

The werewolf stared, her lips parting in surprise at the abrupt request. Blue eyes watched her keenly, almost in a desperate fervor. Riptide regarded the Growlithe with a cooler expression through half-lidded eyes. He snorted softly, thumping his tail to gain Bullet's attention.

"Fire Stones are incredibly rare and very expensive. Even then, they're only sold at specific locations region-wide. Some people or pokémon are lucky to stumble upon them in the wild, but you're more likely to find it at a department store in a major city like Goldenrod City," the big jaw pokémon carefully articulated, keeping the Growlithe pinned under a scarlet gaze.

Bullet's ears folded back slowly, looking crestfallen at the prospect.

"I'm afraid he's right, Bullet. I actually looked into it a little after you came aboard the team. They're obtainable, but they're expensive." She gave him a hopeful grin. "Maybe if I saved up money from some battles, we can scrape up enough to get you one. But it seems a bit early to try evolving you."

He perked, but only slightly. Lupin motioned for him to briefly step out of the way so that they weren't blocking the sidewalk, ushering them all closer toward a storefront.

"I…I don't feel brave enough, sometimes. I was afraid when we fought Falkner back in Violet City…and I was afraid at the Charicific Valley and at the Slowpoke Well. I want to be braver for you. You always seem so fearless when you stand up to people and I want to be just like that."

Bullet had dropped his gaze halfway through, finding it easier to speak to his paws than to Lupin's face. For a long series of seconds, she said nothing and her silence grated against his ears. Finally he looked up, unable to take it anymore.

"I want to fight for you like I couldn't for Benjamin! I don't want to run away all the time like I did in Violet City, I want to stand my ground and fight like you do! You're not even a pokémon, but you don't let anyone scare you, you…you…"

His voice caught in his throat and he stopped himself short, breathing deep to calm himself.

"I want to brave like you."

There was a profound and sudden silence that followed in the wake of his final statement. His voice had been strained and it had cracked halfway through. He was looking at her now, his blue eyes searching her face desperately for a response. Lupin felt her breath catching sharply, and it hurt to try and draw in another. She stared at the Growlithe, taken aback for only the briefest of moments. She was glad for the relative quietness. Even with the shouts from the crowd across the way, to her, it was white noise. It brought her thoughts into focus and she quickly pulled the Growlithe up into her arms.

"Bullet, I'm only brave because I have to be, not because I want to," she said softly, burying her fingers into his scruff. She felt his snout press against her neck while his ears folded back against his head. From the corner of her eye, she could see Riptide inching closer, his crimson eyes flicking between her and Bullet. "Sometimes, I think you're braver than me, buddy. You fight other pokémon that are sometimes faster, bigger or stronger than you, but you don't give up. You've got heart, Bullet. That counts for something. I can't say I knew your trainer, but I'm sure he'd proud of you. You were the only thing he remembered, even when he kept forgetting things. That alone says you were something special to him."

The paw on her shoulders flexed and dug into her and a whimper sounded off next to her ear.

"I think you should wait to evolve. I know that's not what you want to hear, but I think letting you reach your potential as you are now might help in the long run. You won't learn skillsets you could if choose to become an Arcanine, or ones that would take twice as long if you evolve. Just wait a while. If you still feel the same in a few months' time as you do now, I'll put in an order or request or just outright buy that Fire Stone for you. Okay?"

Bullet stirred in her arms then, pushing away just far enough to look her in the face. His hot blue eyes studied her with hope shimmering in their depths, and a small doggy grin pried his lips up.

"You think I'm brave?"

Lupin returned the smile. "Very. You're my brave boy. And you were Benjamin's brave boy, too. I meant what I said. Based on what he sounded like before his Alzheimer's, he must have been a good man. And he would have been proud of you." She gave him a soft scratch behind the ear. "You'll be an Arcanine one day, Bullet, I promise. I'll make sure of it."

The grin broadened on his muzzle, and the doubt that had riddled him slowly melted away. His bushy tail wagged a little and he pushed away from her, claws clicking on the sidewalk.

"Then we should get going, huh? Make those months fly by. Maybe I'll be stronger then!"

"If you train correctly and don't screw up any battles, you will be," Riptide remarked dryly. Bullet regarded him for only a moment. He returned his blue gaze to bear on Lupin again.

"I'll wait then. I'll wait a few months. If I'm stronger as a Growlithe before I'm an Arcanine, then I'll be an even stronger as an Arcanine."

The werewolf chuckled. "That's kind of the point. I want you ready for ready for anything. But there are some moves that take longer to learn if you evolve too soon. If you wait and learn everything, you won't have to build up to those skills. It'd take too long."

The puppy pokémon considered her words, his face screwing up into a contemplative look, it dragged on for a little longer than his last moment of reflection. Riptide stepped closer and nudged Bullet.

"Come on, you dunderhead. We've got a schedule to keep. I don't remember a crisis of your self-worth being on it. You're a valuable enough asset to stay on the team. Blah, blah, blah."

"I think that's the highest compliment you've ever paid anyone, Rip," Lupin replied, offering the big jaw pokemon a wry smile. Riptide snorted and nudged Bullet again. The Growlithe huffed, although he didn't look too displeased. Pushing himself up to his paws, Bullet regarded the Croconaw for a long moment, then darted forward and slurped his tongue across Riptide's snout. Riptide reeled backwards with a hiss, swiping away the spittle on his snout.

"Disgusting mammal! You and your excessive _slobber_!"

Bullet was already trotting ahead on fast paws and calling over his shoulder, "Come on, you buncha Slowpokes! You said we have a schedule to keep, let's go keep it!"

Riptide let out a soft string of expletives, watching the Growlithe with narrowed eyes. He snarled louder when he noticed Lupin was failing to stifle her laughter and gave her a sour look.

"_This_ is what I get for being nice! Spittle all over my face!"

Lupin let out a louder laugh that time, not bothering to hide it any longer.

"Why would you wipe his spittle away? It's his way of saying, '_I like you_', Rip!"

Riptide would have crinkled his nose if he was physically capable of it. Instead, he went with his next best option. He sprayed her in the face with a water gun and trotted away on his long legs, grateful for the extra height he had as a Croconaw. The sounds of the rabbling reporters faded away the further away he got, their own activities a world away compared to him and his own. He was sure they'd repeat their live reporting later on in the evening news. He felt a little better hearing his trainer splutter and snort behind him, too shocked to do or say anything right away. He glanced over his shoulder to find her glowering at him, and picked up a light jog to catch up. He merely spurred himself onward a little quicker, slowly catching up with the Growlithe ahead of him.

…actually, it made him incredibly happy to ruffle his trainer. He had to get his kicks somehow.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**_Additional Note_: Before I get someone who finds the idea of an "upright ****crocodilian ****running is unrealistic" comments in the future, lemme introduce you to _Kaprosuchus saharicus (_6.5 m long, dagger-like tusks, armoured snout for ramming prey_)_ and _Laganosuchus thaumastos_ (pancake-flat head, lurked in rivers and waited for unsuspecting fish to swim past its gaping jaws to snap up). They both were primitive crocodiles from back in the days of dinosaurs that could both gallop on all fours or upright. Yes, I said gallop. Almost akin to a horse. They had long limbs that enabled them to do this, but they were also incredibly capable of swimming due to their long tails. Modern day crocs have to crawl with their bellies close to the ground now as their limbs are sprawled out their sides, but their ancestors had their legs more or less beneath their bodies. **

**Thus, a galloping dog-sized Croconaw is not that farfetched. ******Oh, and those crocs I mentioned? _They_ _ate_ _dinosaurs_. Yeah. Be glad they're extinct. **You're welcome for your daily dose of nightmare fuel.**


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Bugged Out

**Chapter Twenty-Seven:****  
****Bugged Out**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own ****_Pokémon_**** in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**Note: ****_FC_****, your reviews bring a smile to my face as much as my chapters do yours. I'm so glad you take time out of your day to read my story and find enjoyment in my writing! And yes, sadly, my last chapter was written on and off during my time over a military course that left me a little exasperated and tired and wanting to finish the chapter. Not a good thing, as it showed my sloppiness. I'll probably go back over the chapter at a later date and tweak my mistakes. Thanks for letting me know! **

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_I don't care how big or small they are, insects freak me out."_**  
-Alexander Wang**

** OoOoOoOoOoO**

The prolonged clattering of the keyboard was beginning to fray at Lupin's nerves. She wasn't ready to say anything, not yet, but she was damned close. She'd been waiting for nearly twenty minutes and all that had filled the relative silence was that keyboard. The werewolf tried to busy herself instead with her pokédex. She had mastered its most basic of uses, and was scrolling through the entries of pokémon she had already encountered. Perusing through the limited list, she paused at the entry for Slowpoke. She clicked at the screen and brought up the information page.

"_It lazes vacantly near water. If something bites its tail, it won't even notice for a whole day. A sweet sap leaks from its tail's tip. Although not nutritious, the tail is pleasant to chew on._"

Lupin frowned at that. It left little to the imagination as to why Slowpoke had become an endangered species. When she had been in the cave, she would admit, the Slowpokes who had been spared from having their tails hacked off had given off a slightly lovely scent. Underneath the cloying scent of blood from the mutilated ones, they lacked that certain aroma. _But I have to wonder who it was that discovered they have 'pleasant' tails to chew on. That's like the whole chicken egg thing. 'Hey guys, let's eat this round thing that came out of that bird's backside, see if it tastes good!'_

A nip at her arm got her attention and she looked up first to see the receptionist across the way staring at her. She smiled and motioned for her. Riptide rattle-laughed at her and fell in step with the woman. Bullet leapt up from the seat besides Lupin and trotted alongside after them. His claws clicked along the stone tile floor, filling the silence that had quickly swarmed in around them.

"Sorry for the wait, ma'am. When Bugsy goes off to train, he pretty much kicks everyone out of the gym, makes them get some fresh air," the woman offered with a wave of her hand. She vaguely motioned toward the gym proper. The lobby was a pleasant little place, with clean stone tile floors, cushy waiting seats and side tables with magazines, a few potted plants here and there, and the receptionist's desk completed the cushy atmosphere. The actual gym itself sat behind a set of glass doors, where anyone waiting could see into. It was a massive snarling tangle of healthy greenery, giving it an almost gloomy approach compared to the cheerful and tame plants in the lobby. Deeper inside, Lupin swore she could make out the faint gleam of silvery webbing, but it could have been a trick of the lighting.

Or so she hoped.

The receptionist laughed softly, noticing Lupin's lingering gaze.

"It looks like a real jungle in there, doesn't it? You should be fine, though. Bugsy didn't design it to be impossible to traverse, just a bit of a challenge. The gym doubles as a biosphere for his bug-type pokémon. It's a diverse enough atmosphere that many different species of pokémon from several differing regions can coexist under the same atmosphere. It's really amazing in there, you'll see."

She continued to smile as she inputted a few last keystrokes into the computer and she sighed in triumphant.

"There. All done. Now, what can I help you with, ma'am?"

"I had a few questions for Bugsy, actually—none pertaining to gym battles, or battling tips. It's a little more personal than that. I'd rather not say much more, if it's all the same. It's…complicated, let's leave it at that."

The woman, whose desk nameplate read as Asami, dropped her smile for only a heartbeat. Her brow ever so slightly crinkled in surprise.

"Oh. Well, now…that's…hm." She stood, looking uncertain suddenly and she glanced at the glass doors, then her computer. "I suppose…since it's not busy right now, I could ask Bugsy to come speak with you. We have a break room you could utilize, if it's a private matter…"

"It kind of is," Lupin said with an appreciative nod. Asami nodded back in return and swept around her desk, moving swiftly toward the glass doors. As she did, her outfit came into full view. She looked more ready for a day in the forest than a desk job, surprising the werewolf. A clean but durable-looking button-up blouse with khaki pants and calf-high hiking boots, it was a striking difference from Falkner's prim and proper receptionist back in Violet City. Asami caught her staring, grinned and winked at Lupin.

"I wore a pencil skirt and a pair of five-inch high heels with an expensive blouse and jacket my first day working here. Got caught by a Pinsir's pincers on accident the first day. Never again, not in this place!" She disappeared with her laughter trailing behind and was swallowed up by the miniature forest beyond several steps in.

Lupin was startled by a harsh gust of air blowing out from Riptide beside her.

"You're being awfully secretive all of a sudden."

"It's not that I'm being secretive. I just don't think it's best to keep indulging long explanations to strangers if it isn't necessary," she remarked back, her ears stirring ever so slightly beneath her cap. She could hear voices beyond, speaking in quiet tones. Asami has reached Bugsy. Bugsy was saying hello. Asami greeted him back, asked what he could do for her. Riptide interrupted the stream of voices she was listening to.

"You don't want people to look at you like you're broken. That's why you hadn't said anything to anyone else, isn't it?"

Lupin flinched in surprise, but avoided the crimson stare boring into her. Bullet pressed closer against her other side, whining softly.

"I saw the way Dervish looked at you during your classes. He always hesitated before addressing you, like you might suddenly forget about him or who you are. And…Professor Elm isn't completely guilt-free either. He got over it fairly quickly after a while, but I noticed how he already treated you carefully at the lab, like you'd break down. I didn't think much of it at the time, but looking back on it now, it doesn't seem…fair," Riptide continued when she didn't answer.

"My point is, maybe it is best we kept it quiet. You don't exactly advertise it loudly or at length, but minimizing who knows about you would probably help in the long run. Running around Johto and asking everyone and their nest-mate if they knew you could lead to…consequences."

"Like what kind," Bullet piped up, looking nervously between Lupin and Riptide. The way he had inquired made it sound like he already knew. The Croconaw regarded Bullet for a moment through half-lidded eyes before answering.

"Bad ones. Ones that could hurt rather help both her and us. The less drama we encounter, the better."

He tipped his snout back to look up at the werewolf, waiting for her response. She opened her mouth to do so, but hurriedly clacked her jaw shut instead and looked to the glass doors. Asami was just popping out of the foliage. She opened the door just a crack and poked her head through, waving at Lupin.

"He'll talk to you out here, it's just as private. I'll take you straight to him, you might get lost otherwise. It's practically a jungle in there!"

Asami grinned and winked again. Bullet's eyes lit up at that and he trotted forward towards the doors without a backwards glance. Lupin stared after the Growlithe and glanced at Riptide. The Croconaw shrugged and ambled forward as well. A beat passed before she started after her pokémon. Asami waited patiently, holding the door open for the three of them. The glass door slid closed on silent hinges when she stepped away after Lupin passed through and into the warm cocooned atmosphere of the gym's biosphere. The heat wrapped around her like a warm blanket, but it was anything from comforting. The instant she stepped into the lush green world, she was alert and aware that hidden eyes were watching her. The choir of humming and buzzing was soft, almost muted, but it was ever present. The entire atmosphere simply _thrived_ with life.

Riptide stalked alongside her on his muscled little legs, sniffing delicately at the air. Bullet had already raced ahead, leaving Lupin with a faint knot of unease tightening into a hard little ball in the pit of her stomach. She could hear Bullet running amok, but she would have felt better having him within sight. She refrained from showing that disquiet, not feeling comfortable voicing it aloud in front of another person. Her ears made soft little twitches beneath her hat as they traipsed through the thick foliage.

The trail Asami was leading them on was narrow and winding, but maintained well enough. Many feet had trampled a good footpath, and just as many scent marks had passed to and fro. The undergrowth pressed in on all sides, thick and unyielding. The plants were lush and thick with life, boasting of a healthy environment. They certainly made for a hearty natural green shield. It was impressive that so much of it could be jam-packed into such a small square plot of property. Occasionally she felt eyes following their moves and once or twice, caught glimpses of movement in the foliage beyond, but nothing showed itself to them. Lupin could hear Bullet somewhere out there still, romping about freely.

"So, how many species of bug-type pokémon live here? You said Bugsy made this biosphere specifically to coincide with several differing types?"

Asami took the lead and gave the werewolf a chipper smile as she passed her by.

"Almost three dozen! Many that aren't native to Kanto or Johto were imported from the other regions for research purposes at first, but they ended up becoming permanent and valued members of the gym." Asami smiled wider, showing the whites of her teeth when she flashed a smile over her shoulder. "Plus, I don't think they'd want to go back and be separated from Bugsy and his fellow Bug Catcher posse. The pokémon absolutely love them, they're so spoiled!"

"Is Bugsy a professor or aspiring to be one?"

The taller woman shook her head, slowly as they came across a huge downed tree in the middle of their path. Asami carefully climbed over, while Lupin hurdled herself effortlessly afterwards. Riptide snort-hissed on the other side in discontent, moments before he too was throwing himself on top of the log with a mass of disgruntled grumbles. He pinned Lupin with a foul crimson-tinted glare as he slid down the other side.

Asami laughed at the Croconaw.

"Maybe you should have carried him in his pokéball, this terrain gets kind of wild in some places."

Riptide responded by snapping his jaws, making a sharp crack. Asami only chuckled again. Lupin's lips creased into a small, wry smile.

"He doesn't care much for his pokéball. I'll never hear the end of it later on."

"I believe it," the other woman said amiably. She glanced at Lupin, nodded, and turned on her heel with a motion for them to keep moving. "And to answer your earlier question, no. No, Bugsy isn't a professor or studying to be one. But as a gym leader with a specialty in bug-type pokémon, he has to be a leading authority on them. He knows quite a bit about the other types, though. He kind of has to, since he's always challenged by trainers who often times carry a variety of pokémon." She paused, casting another look over her shoulder toward Lupin and Riptide. "Kind of like how you have a water-type and a fire-type right now. If you wanted to challenge Bugsy, he'd have to prep a team that could handle the challenge and he'd also have to take into consideration the level that your team is currently at."

Lupin remembered studying that at the academy. Every trainer that challenged a gym leader wasn't always a beginning trainer. And every gym leader didn't have just the one team. Some had advanced and powerful teams for the more seasoned challengers, while beginners were often faced with weaker teams. It was a way of balancing things out for all walks of life that passed through the gyms, but it wasn't a well-kept secret that most gym leaders often had a favorite team or pokémon they liked to use for most battles.

Asami continued speaking as they rounded another bend. It seemed like the trail was doubling back on itself, or at least carrying them around in circles.

"The gym leaders of all regions are not just assigned as such to best other trainers, although that is their most famous and mainly advertised function. They're also supposed to be guides and advisors, helping trainers who challenge them be molded into better battlers. Whether they win or they lose, they gym leaders still offer some insight on how to improve challengers and their pokémon. At least, that's what they should be doing. Some gym leaders…they tend to forget that other half of their job and focus more on domination on the battlefield and nothing else. It's a shame."

Lupin spared a glance toward Riptide. He had his rapt attention focused on Asami, although he did dip his snout into a faint nod of agreement when he caught Lupin's gaze. She shrugged back and returned her own attention to Asami. They were nearing the end of their hike. Moments later, they broke free into an open space. The miniature forest pressed in on all sides, but there was enough leeway to show the top of the gym's glass-roofed ceiling. Golden sunlight trickled in and brushed warm fingertips across the lush little biosphere.

The open space before them was well-cared for and the grass was manicured, with white markings on the ground to dictate the boundaries of a typical battlefield. A wiry-looking young man had his back to them. He was dressed similarly to Asami, although in lieu of khaki pants, he sported hiking shorts and boots with a thick button up shirt made for long, rough hikes and extended periods of time. It was a perfect good outfit for rooting around and looking for pokémon in the deep forest wilds. His short hair was a soft lavender hue and pulled back away from his face. Upon further inspection, it almost looked like he had dreadlocks.

Bugsy, at the moment, was unaware of them and had himself surrounded by an entourage of truly strange looking pokémon. Lupin recognized most of the pokémon present, such as a few Caterpie and Weedle, a Spinarak and Venomoth, and a pair of Butterfree. There were several others she didn't recognize, though, such as the large, bipedal green one with the vicious scythes for arms. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle uncomfortably when it glanced her way. Her tail bristled beneath her coat and she had still herself from letting it rise up and lift her coat in the process.

Riptide clacked his jaws and hissed quietly.

"A Scyther…" the Croconaw muttered. "I hear Bugsy has an affinity with using them in his gym battles. They're very deadly because of their arms…"

The Scyther in question lifted its arms and dragged the sharp edge of one bladed arm against the other, as though it was sharpening its deadly weapons. The sunlight gleamed along the bladed limb, giving it a hard glint.

"Yeah. I kind of noticed that," Lupin muttered back. Gooseflesh pimpled along her body the longer it kept staring at her. She averted her gaze at last, focusing it back on the young man they were approaching.

Asami was already strolling on ahead at a clipped pace, calling to Bugsy. The young man turned and gave a cheerful wave to her. A Ledyba that had been roosting in a tree nearby suddenly took to the air and zoomed over toward Asami, babbling excitedly to the tall woman. Asami laughed and opened her arms in response, pulling the five star pokémon into a warm embrace. The red and black-spotted backing of the Ledyba's exoskeleton was bright and healthy-looking, catching bits of sunlight.

"Hey there, Lady! Glad to see you too!"

Lupin scanned the open field anxiously, not seeing Bullet. She faltered a step, and then another, looking to and fro. She could still hear the Growlithe crashing about in the foliage somewhere off to her right. She stiffened suddenly when she heard a high pitched yelp. Seconds later, the black-striped fire dog was tumbling head over paws from the thick brush. A giant blue beetle wasn't far behind the puppy pokémon, who made a quick beeline toward Lupin once he noticed her. The others paused to watch, their faces graced with bemused grins as they watched the spectacle. Bullet took a running leap toward the werewolf. She caught him, taken aback and as soon as he was in her arms, she noticed how sticky he was.

The blue beetle stopped mid-chase once Bullet was tucked safely away in Lupin's arms, looking disgruntled and disappointed. It eyed both Lupin and Bullet with open disdain as it changed direction and headed for Bugsy.

"What in the hell—is this _tree sap_?" She took a hearty sniff, realizing that no, it wasn't tree sap. It wasn't as thick, and it smelled sweeter. Almost _tasty_, even.

"It's _honey_," Bullet confirmed sullenly, his ears folding back flat against his head. He eyed the blue beetle with just as much distaste, while Bugsy moved closer to put it at ease. Bullet licked his chops. Lupin noticed bits of honey was smeared over his snout, golden rivulets clinging to his fur stubbornly. "I smelled it and I just wanted a few licks and then I got attacked by that Heracross and he chased me all over the place!"

"It looks like your Growlithe got into old Dickens' honey tree," Bugsy called, venturing closer. The Heracross, Dickens, remained where he was, watching Bullet suspiciously. He snorted loudly for good measure, making Bullet flinch. "He's pretty aggressive and territorial when the others try to take so much as a whiff of his honey, never mind other trainers' pokémon. Might wanna keep him in his pokéball if you can't control him."

"He's fine. He won't do it again," Lupin replied, hiking her shoulders up defensively. She ran her fingers into his scruff. Bullet whined and butted his snout against the underside of her chin. She set him down and stared at him meaningfully. "_Right_, Bullet?"

Bullet nodded reluctantly, ears still pressed to his head and his body shrunk down to make himself smaller. He whined again, avoiding her gaze. Lupin sighed, making a mental note to give him a bath later on, and to wash her clothes, for that matter. She was covered in the stuff now too.

She returned to Bugsy, squaring him up again. He was taller than her, but only by a few inches. And while he was a skinny young man, his limbs were corded with wiry and lean muscle, tempered in the forge of the forest and mountainous terrains surrounding Azalea. She could smell it on him, the pollen and stones and trees and most of all, the bugs. He smelled strongly of the bugs he had dedicated himself to.

The young man eyed the puppy pokémon a moment longer, his eyes narrowed and lips pressed into a thin line. He turned his gaze back toward Lupin at last, relaxing. Asami was already retreating from the field with the Ledyba in tow, taking her leave to allow the two to speak in private. When the woman was gone, Bugsy spoke up.

"Asami told me you had a private matter to discuss with me. Might want to hurry, I have a few battles scheduled within the hour."

The other bug pokémon that had lingered in their little group behind Bugsy began to press in, once more backing the young man. The Scyther kept its gaze trained on Lupin as it approached slowly, its heavy gaze unsettling. It took Lupin a few belated moments to realize why it was disturbing: it wasn't blinking at all. She found an Ekans' stare more comforting than a Scyther's, she immediately decided. She shook the thought from her mind.

"Right. Yes, I did." She paused, dipping a hand to search her back pocket. The familiar bulge of her wallet greeted her fingertips. She yanked it out and popped it up, rifling for the contents she knew to be inside. Bugsy waited patiently, his arms crossed over his chest. Lupin finally pulled out the photographs she needed and closed the small gap between herself and the Azalea Gym Leader, offering them to him.

"A few months back, I had…well, I say accident, but I'm not even sure what exactly happened to me, except for the aftermath. I ended up getting amnesia and—,"

"—and now you're hoping I might recognize the people in your photographs. Is that your assumption?"

Lupin blinked, taken aback. Bugsy offered a smile when she narrowed her eyes, but she said nothing else, waiting for him to explain. Her patience was rewarded after a pregnant pause between them.

"Falkner called. He gave me a heads up to keep a lookout for a trainer with a shoulder-riding Totodile and a rather bold Growlithe…although, I'm guessing your Totodile's evolved and it doesn't need to hitch rides on your shoulders any longer." His eyes flicked to Riptide, who only snort-hissed at him. Bugsy looked back at Lupin. "It looks healthy. You should be proud."

She quickly recovered as he took the photographs and scanned over each for a few moments. Bugsy handed them back, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but I don't recognize any of them. I could have Asami review the security tapes and get back to you in a few days, but I doubt she'll find the individuals you're looking for. Unless you have more to go on, you won't have much luck with the process you've been going about."

Lupin tucked away her photographs, slower than when she had pulled them out. Her gaze lingered on the first, the one that showed her side-by-side with the dark-haired, violet-eyed man. She had looked at it for hours, just like the rest, but there was nothing that stirred within her. No recognition, no eureka moment, no sudden bolt out of the blue of remembrance. There was only the yawning chasm of emptiness and suddenly, she was afraid it would remain that way for forever. What if she never remembered these people? What if she never found them? Or worse, what if she did find them, but she never remembered them, no matter how much time she spent with them trying to?

The emptiness seemed to grow bigger inside and the loneliness even more still. She felt twin figures pressing in on both legs and she glanced down to see Bullet and Riptide both looking up at her. She slowly tucked away the photographs and stowed her wallet back into her pocket again.

"I appreciate you taking the time to…to see me. Thank you. I…think it's time I moved on from here."

_Maybe the station's cleared up by now…and I can get something more solid from the police. _

Bullet pressed more firmly against her leg and gave a faint whine. Riptide clacked his jaws and pushed away. Lupin took the hint and nodded to Bugsy. The Scyther behind him hissed quietly and the Heracross at his side snorted loudly, still eying Bullet. She barely made it a few steps before Bugsy piped up behind her.

"Huh. That is odd. Falkner was right."

_I swear, if I hear that man's name again…._

She was beginning to grow sick of that man's gossiping. Didn't he have better things to do than to yap about her to other people? Bristling but not yet willing to show it, Lupin halted and glanced over her shoulder. "Right about what, exactly?"

Bugsy continued to grin at her, his arms crossed over his chest once again. "I don't run into many trainers who stop by my gym who _don't_ want to challenge me, other than young students who come to visit for field trips and demonstration workshops. Even rarer still are trainers who do take on gym leaders without the intention of taking a well-earned gym badge!"

"Are you going somewhere with this?"

"I'm curious, that's all. Do you just plan on wandering the region, asking all the gym leaders about these people? Have you even tried looking around the area you were found in at all?"

Riptide clacked his jaws beside her. "Let's go, he's just trying to bait you."

Lupin frowned, hesitating. She was torn between listening to Riptide and wanting to answer the young man. Her hesitance gave Bugsy another ample opportunity to continue.

"For all you know, these people could be in a completely different region. Have you tried getting in touch with Professor Elm at all? Maybe you'd have better luck with him. I'm sure he's got a wider branch of resources than me and the other gym leaders—"

"Professor Elm was the one who _found_ me. He's also the one who kept me from drowning in the lake I was floating in while unconscious near New Bark Town. No one knows how I ended up there, and I obviously don't know either."

Bugsy's mouth clamped shut and he stared at Lupin, taken aback. He was quiet for a long period of time, clearly shocked at the news. Slowly, the faint smile disappeared from his face as he considered the information.

"I see…so you've probably already sought his help, then. And he couldn't assist you?"

Lupin shook her head and answered, "He's too busy. He's got enough on his plate right now. He tried to help where he could, asking his fellow colleagues to look into their regions and perhaps see if I match any missing persons reports, but nothing came up. I eventually decided it was better that I left the lab and took things into my hands and he agreed."

Bugsy mulled over her response before replying again. "I'm sorry. I can't really help you either. Like I said, I don't recall any of those individuals from your photographs." He paused, before another grin split his face and he snapped his fingers. "Tell you what. You can review the security tapes, if you wish. I'll have Asami pull them up for you dating back to…let's go back a year, shall we? See if you recognize any of the people from your pictures. Just make sure you return them before you leave town. How does that sound?"

Lupin considered the offer and gave a precursory look to her pokémon before nodding to Bugsy.

"That should be fine. I don't have much else to do while I'm here in Azalea."

"It's a shame, that. You look like you'd give me a good challenge. I haven't had one in a while."

"I'll just take the tapes, thanks."

Bugsy shrugged. "If that's the only thing you want. I'll come with you and help speed the process up. Sound good?"

"It's your gym. I can't exactly tell you, 'fuck off'. Be a bit rude," Lupin quipped back dryly. Bugsy smirked a little.

"You certainly have a way with people, don't you?" Pausing, he said to his pokémon, "Go on, I'll be back in a little. Glade, you come with me."

All but the Scyther took their leave at Bugsy's word. The Scyther, Glade, followed after his trainer, his gaze trained on Lupin with as much suspicion as Dickens the Heracross had eyeballed Bullet. Lupin hid the shiver that ran up her spine as she turned reluctantly to take lead. She didn't exactly fancy the idea of having a giant bug with sharp blades for arms at her backside, but she had little choice. Bugsy was taking his sweet time, following at a distance behind her, so Glade did as well. She found herself swallowed back up by the green foliage's embrace and back on the winding trail.

"That Scyther doesn't seem to like us."

"I don't think they like anyone except their trainers. They're very deadly," Riptide said quietly, stealing a glance over his own shoulder. "I think Bugsy wants to fight you. He's not exactly being discreet about it."

"Yeah. I noticed."

Bullet stayed close this time, nervously casting his gaze to and fro, almost expecting to be attacked by the Heracross from before. They were nearly to the glass doors of the lobby when Lupin spoke again addressing both her pokémon this time.

"Do you want to fight him?"

She was given surprised and curious looks in return. Bullet pulled his ears back against his head, looking back beyond Lupin. He could just make out Bugsy and his Scyther, still following at an ample distance.

"I-I think I could do it. I'm a fire-type. We're good against bug-type pokémon. But…just as long as I don't have to fight that Heracross or Scyther, I think I'd be okay."

"Rip?" She looked to the Croconaw by her side. He reflected her inquiry as they reached the glass doors and waited for her to open them.

"If you're willing, then I will. I'll fight. The real question is, do _you_ want to fight him?"

Lupin stared for a moment at the Croconaw before she opened the doors, unable to answer. Bullet trotted into the lobby, his claws clicking on the stone tiles. Riptide followed, his claws scratching along and his tail dragging behind. Lupin followed last. The three of them paused at Asami's desk and Bugsy wasn't far behind. Barely half an hour later, Lupin was carrying a handful of tapes in her arms, heading back down the street for the Pokémon Center, deciding that she'd try the police station tomorrow instead.

When they arrived back at the center, the lobby was packed and it took a few minutes to navigate their way back to their room. Lupin dumped the tapes on the bed, heaving a relieved sigh. She collapsed on the bedspread, suddenly feeling exhausted and only partially accomplished. Bullet leapt onto the bed beside her head and flopped over, groaning quietly. A few minutes later, she could hear him snoring away.

Another body was crawling up onto the bed, shoving aside tapes until she felt a bony jaw lay across her belly. Lupin reached up to scratch at Riptide's head, quietly soaking up the peaceful moment, relaxed and at ease for once.

"You never answered my question." Riptide said after a while. Lupin opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them. She sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You asked us if we wanted to battle Bugsy. Right after you said you had no interest in fighting him to his face. So…which is it? Do you or do you not want to battle Bugsy?"

Lupin took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She shook her head in uncertainty.

"…I don't know anymore."

Riptide hissed quietly until it melted away into a soft sigh of his own.

"You should decide quickly. I don't think you'll have much choice if you leave it up to him the next time you see him."

"He can't force me, can he?"

"He'll certainly try to goad you. He's shaken your resolve enough that you had to ask us."

Riptide sat up, turning his head to gaze more clearly down at his trainer. Lupin sat up to balance herself on her arms. "I'll ask again. Do you want to fight Bugsy?"

Lupin reflected on the question for a long time, carefully considering her answer. After a while, she finally nodded with a faint smile adorning her lips. "Let's do it. We don't have much else to do. Might as well have some kind of fun, right? Maybe if I rattled some chains a bit, people will start to notice. If people notice…maybe someone who knows me might come running."

Riptide rattle-laughed at her answer. That was certainly one way of looking at things, he mused.

"I like that answer. And who knows? Maybe you're right."

_For your sake, I _hope_ you're right. That's all we can do at this point, after all._

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight: Tricky

**Chapter Twenty-Eight:  
Tricky**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own ****_Pokémon_**** in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**Note: Another delay in my life. Much tragic. Such busy. So exhaust. **

**In other words, I had incredibly busy days and weeks at work, prepping and enjoying my Marine Corps Birthday Ball with my fellows. I was narrator, which naturally meant I had long hours on practice, not much time here. I was also blindsided with inspiration for a few other projects, but I'm back and here's a new chapter, in the end! **

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_I've learned that life is very tricky business: Each person needs to find what they want to do in life and not be dissuaded when people question them."_  
**-Eli Wallach**

** OoOoOoOoOoO**

He awoke to find his trainer still sitting at the edge of the bed, her mismatched eyes glued to the television set. She was leaning forward, her body tense and still like stone. Security tapes were piled in towers all over the floor. The remote was sitting beside Lupin on the bedspread. It didn't look like she had even slept, if the neat and orderly appearance of her side of the bed was any indication. Bullet was still sleeping on his side, flopped against the other pillow. Riptide slithered across the mattress on all fours, careful not to disturb the Growlithe as he passed and pushed himself upright when he was beside Lupin.

She didn't look any worse, which surprised him. Most humans would have looked like hell. He knew Professor Elm and Phillip alike always did, whenever they pulled several all-nighters in a row, never mind just the one. Greasy hair, bloodshot eyes, gaunt faces and tired reflexes were all that remained of the men whenever they pushed themselves too far for too long. But Lupin had none of those signs. She looked fine, considering she most likely hadn't slept at all.

He realized he had just made yet another shocking discovery about werewolves. They really were made of sterner stuff than humans. He wondered just how long she could go without sleep before it began to affect her.

"Morning," she quietly greeted without looking at him. The volume of the television was turned down, but Riptide knew she could hear it just fine. She had simply reduced it for his and Bullet's sake so they could sleep.

He tilted his head at her before dipping his snout in a nod. "You've been up all night watching these things, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Looking for them?"

"Yes," she hesitated and scooped up the remote. She pressed a button and the frame on the television froze, an almost picture perfect shot of Bugsy's Scyther, Glade, in mid-flight, a bladed limb raised up in attack. Glade was facing off against a large, crouching Persian, who looked ready to launch an attack of its own against the bipedal bug. The camera shot itself was from a high up angle, but it was an impressive viewpoint nonetheless. It must have been purposefully set up not only for security purposes, but for later reviews of every battle.

The Persian's trainer was a young child, barely entering his teenage years, but Riptide didn't entirely trust his judgement of human ages. Lupin herself looked to be in her early twenties, but she was in her mid-thirties. Or so she claimed.

Lupin sat up straighter with a long, heaving sigh, wincing when a few audible pops and cracks made themselves known as she stretched.

"I need a shower," she said after she finished, pulling her limbs back down from their awkward positions. Lupin couldn't move her left shoulder as well as her right, Riptide had come to find. It was severely limited in its rotation and the height in which it could move past, which was barely shoulder height with her arm outstretched. It made dressing awkward at times for her, and he sometimes had to help drag her shirts down when she couldn't quite get it herself. He wondered, not for the first time, what kind of beast or pokémon that could have done such horrible damage, pain, and lasting scars on her like it had.

Riptide glanced at the television screen, humming for a moment. "You haven't found anything."

It was more statement than question. She shook her head. He issued a drawn out hiss.

"So it was a waste of time," he continued, glaring sullenly at the frozen image. Glade the Scyther looked as intimidating on a television screen as he did in real life. When the Croconaw faced Lupin, he was surprised to see a small smile gracing her lips and her mismatched eyes winking with mischievous glee.

"Not entirely."

He studied her, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, he snapped his jaws with a loud enough clack that it made Bullet twitch and snort, but the Growlithe didn't wake.

"Then _why_ are you _smiling_? You said so yourself, you didn't find any of the people you were looking for."

Lupin bobbed her head, not quite a nod, but neither was it a shake of the head. She motioned to the television screen and clicked the remote. The images resumed playing. Glade swiped his deadly blade at the Persian. The nimble big cat leapt away at the last moment, countering with a series of furious swipes of its claws at the bug pokémon in retaliation.

"What do you see?"

"I see Glade, and a human child's Persian battling."

"Battling. _Exactly_."

The Croconaw tilted his head, not quite understanding at first. Then it dawned on him as suddenly as a thunderbolt out of the blue.

"We can study Bugsy's battling techniques while we continue searching for your nest-mates."

He snapped his head toward Lupin, and found her beaming at him proudly. She reached over and tapped the tip of his snout gently with a fingertip. "You are one _very_ smart Croconaw."

Riptide puffed his chest out and snorted. "Of course I am. I'm one of a kind."

She laughed at him, but not unkindly, as she reached for him again. This time, she ran her fingers across the bony plate of his skull until it hit the softer spots behind it, and she gave him a few good scratches. He closed his eyes at the pleasant tingles that ran along his spine at the simple gestures. It practically made him want to melt into the bedspread the longer she rubbed at his head. He barely caught her last words before she stopped and retreated to the bathroom, chuckling as she went.

"Ohhhh, yes. You certainly are one of a kind, Rip. That I can't ever argue with."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Okay, okay—here. Right here. He isn't above using stat-altering moves such as poisons and paralyzers to chip away at his opponent's health and wear away their chances at winning. Items can't be used in the gym leader matches, so if either of you get hit, you're pretty much screwed."

"So don't get hit. Got it!" Bullet quipped back with a lolling tongue and happy grin.

"It's easier said than done, Bullet," Lupin replied, pressing a button to speed through a few more matches. "Powders, dusts, and spores are harder to avoid when they're in the very air you need to breathe. Unless you grow wings and can blow it all away, you'll basically have to hold your breath until you're ready to fire. Not to mention, string shot is a sticky web silk that can be almost invisible in some lightings until you go tripping over it."

"Not to mention, you need the air around you to ignite and feed your fire, dunderhead. Hard to do that when you're inhaling paralyzing spores in the middle of your attack and end up choking on it all. Pay attention." Riptide snappishly added. Bullet growled sullenly at the big jaw pokémon, but it quickly turned into a dejected whine.

"Lupiiiiin, he's being mean again! Make him stop!"

"How about both of you stop it? Rip, stop goading Bullet. And Bullet, suck it up, you're not _that_ young of a pup. Okay, now this one. Bugsy isn't above using the stat-altering moves, but he seems to focus more on defense first, before moving onto the debilitating offense. A good defense is the best offense and then he switches it around to the best offense is a great defense."

She stopped fast forwarding to focus on another battle. In the corner of the video, a date stamp showed this one had been recorded barely two weeks prior to their arrival in Azalea.

A Metapod was sitting still in the middle of the battlefield, serene and content where it was. A Zigzagoon, a native pokémon of the Hoenn region, was pounding away at the green-shelled cocoon pokémon with its sharp claws. It started out furiously, its curved claws dancing in wide arcs, back and forth, rocking the Metapod on occasion, but it remained adamantly unscathed. Eventually, the Zigzagoon's stamina began to whittle away. Bugsy's command came at last, a calm and confident bellow to the Metapod to use string shot.

A tangle of silvery webbing caught all around the limbs of the Zigzagoon, soon trapping it in the silky, sticky strands. The cream and white-furred pokémon struggled, its strength renewed, but it only succeeded in tangling itself further in the sticky substance.

"Tackle attack!"

The Metapod moved with surprising speed and struck the helpless Zigzagoon with fierce intensity. Lupin watched carefully. To the average human eye, not many could follow the Metapod's lightning quick assaults, but Lupin could. It was an impressive feat for a seemingly immobile pokémon. She had watched quite a few previous battles that involved other Metapod who employed the same tactics. Lupin remembered the Butterfree Bugsy was working with the other day when she visited. It made her realize early on that he must have trained them since they were Caterpie, continued in their training through their evolution as Metapods and kept their offensive attacks present in their move sets. She theorized it must be a method of producing stronger Butterfree when the Metapods eventually evolved. If that was the case, she knew she and her two pokémon had their work cut out for them.

She also noted that for beginning trainers such as herself, he liked to utilize a Metapod in his battles. But he also liked to use one of his Scyther. Glade, it turned out, wasn't the only one he had in his possession. He had two others for his less advanced battle parties, but they weren't any less deadly. Sometimes Bugsy switched it up, but it seemed as of lately, the gym leader was on a kick with those blade-armed bugs.

_I could use Bullet first. His fire attacks should blow away the Metapod, but it's a Scyther I worry about him using. Chances of him using a high-leveled one like Glade are low considering our level, but they're still very fast and if Bullet gets hit by one of their blades, he'll be down for the count. Even if he isn't…I don't want him hurt._

Lupin glanced at Riptide, taking note of his scaly, tough hide.

He could probably withstand a few hits before going down. But the question is, how many can he take and just how hits in return can he deal out and will it be enough?

Chances of Bugsy using a Scyther were looking more and more likely, but she wanted to prepare for any and all possibilities. She even went so far as to research the exact species of pokémon that were present in the Azalea City Gym and what levels each were. Riptide helped her with tidying up the list and level categorization. Bullet even helped out with who were easiest to toast and who would be a bit harder because of their dual-types playing a factor. When she had asked about his rather extensive knowledge on the matter, Bullet had grown rather embarrassed and mumbled out a mostly incomprehensible reply that sounded something like "games" and "setting fires" and "bugs". Lupin had wisely decided not to pursue a repeat of the answer, while Riptide had only stared wide-eyed and unblinking at the puppy pokémon for the longest time.

Riptide kept his jaws shut on the matter as well after a time, returning to the matter at hand. For a good while, they continued on with the quiet commentary, pausing or rewinding certain battles, until they were nearly caught up.

"I don't believe Bugsy gave these tapes to you just so you could search for your nest-mates."

The comment threw Lupin and she stared at Riptide for the longest time before she turned back to the television screen. The video was paused again, this time highlighting a battle between a Beedrill and a Mr. Mime. The date stamp showed it was five days before they had arrived in Azalea.

"He gave them to us because…he wanted us to see how he fights." Bullet remarked, his ears flaring back and pressing down on his head. He was staring at the Beedrill apprehensively.

"Not how he fights, necessarily," Riptide corrected, tilting his head to look at Bullet. "He wanted us to know powerful his pokémon are. He's showing off."

"But we also get to see how he's fighting. Lupin's right. He starts off defensively, and then goes on the offensive. He _wants_ to wear us out. And if he starts off with any of his pokémon that know harden and string shot, which most of them do, they'll only make it that much easier to do so. We have to hit hard and hit fast. I should go out first; I can torch them quick and easy."

Lupin was messing with the bangle at her wrist, more out of habit now than actual nervousness. Her fingertips roved over the engravings carved in the metal as she started the video back up to finish the battle. She caught Riptide staring at her and she stopped fiddling with the bangle. He glanced down with a tip of his snout, his eyes half-lidded and lazy-looking.

"You're playing with it again."

"And?"

"You don't play with anything else you own, except for that thing. Not your necklaces, not your photos, not even your precious book gets that much attention these days." He snorted softly, a puff of air dancing across her skin. "That must have meant something important to you before you lost your memory. Something must be trying to tell you that, if not through memory, than at the very least through tics."

Lupin paused, considering that. She dropped her gaze to the bangle on her wrist, eyes raking over the design carved into the metalwork. They almost seemed to make no sense, but further inspection, she noticed they were almost like knotted or even braided hearts. The lines curled over one another and back again, intricately woven together. The craftsmanship was remarkable, and the details had been done with love and care poured into it.

She wasn't entirely sure if it was her style or not. _If I have it, then it must have been at some point._

She wondered if she'd have any luck with trying to find out if anyone in the region had made it. The professor must have gone big-scale, inquiring with big name jewelry makers and hadn't focused on the fine-tuned lesser known companies or individuals. She made a mental note to start looking into jewelry shops and inquiring if they knew of who might have made it. Perhaps they could point her in the right direction from there.

It's not much, but it's something else to work with.

"Maybe," she concluded at last, feeling it to be a somewhat lame response. She forced herself to stop playing with it and turned back to the television. The last battle ran its course and the tape ended. She sighed, glancing at scattered pages of paper around the bed, at the lists she and the other two had put together. Her eyes drifted amongst the pile of 'most likely battle candidates' and picked it up. She tried reading it, but her eyes weren't focusing on any of the words.

Her thoughts kept turning back to the bangle on her wrist and how she was suddenly aware of its touch against her skin and its weight seemed to grow greater with every passing second. Riptide was still watching her critically as she tried to pretend to focus on the paperwork.

Somehow, the weight of his gaze felt heavier than the bangle on her wrist.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Welcome back! Good to see you again."

"Somehow, I find that statement really, really…just—just bullshit."

"Ha! Fair enough." Bugsy was smiling nonetheless, and it was still aimed at Lupin. Asami had just left to the break room to enjoy her lunch hour. It allowed her and Bugsy to speak in private, more or less. The lobby of the gym was empty, just like last time. It was almost worrisome. Did he not have any challengers lately?

She felt Riptide shift his weight to lean against her. Bullet wisely chose to sit beside her as well, instead of wandering off like his first romp about the gym building. He whined softly when he noticed old Dickens the Heracross was watching him from afar with those buggy, unblinking eyes. Just sitting there, watching, waiting, hoping to browbeat the Growlithe if he wandered inside. Bullet pressed tighter against Lupin's other leg, feeling unnerved by the Heracross's fixed, leering gaze from behind the glass doors leading to the gym biosphere proper.

"Thanks for returning the security tapes, by the way. All of them seem to be here. Did you find what you were looking for?"

Lupin expelled a sigh, long and quiet, shaking her head. "No. Not entirely. The people I was looking for weren't in any of the tapes. But I did find something else."

Bugsy, who was sitting on Asami's desk top, rather than in her seat, leaned back and tilted his head inquiringly. "Oh? And what's that?"

"That you didn't just give those tapes to me out of the goodness of your heart, and because you wanted to help. You wanted me to see your battles. To see how good you are, and perhaps entice me into a battle."

Bugsy stared at her, his face a blank canvas for a long time. His face split into a wide grin at last.

"I guess I'm just not that clever or subtle, am I?" His dark eyes winked with mischief. "Did it work?"

"You really aren't subtle about it at all," Lupin agreed, shaking her head slightly. "But I'll admit…I'm tempted." She paused briefly, and she swore she saw a flicker of anticipation line his face. She continued, and watched as his face fell briefly as she did. "I'm tempted to walk away and keep going the way I have been, but you did bring up a good point. The way I'm going about this isn't entirely right, but it isn't all that wrong either. These gyms have a popular and high traffic of people coming and going. Chances of someone that I might know or can help me coming through here is too big a chance I can't afford to miss. But I have other places to look into that might help as well."

The young man waited, staring expectantly back at the werewolf as she drew forth another pause between them. She didn't let it last too long before she smiled a little.

"So in the meantime…I think I will take up gym challenges. I have a trainer license. I have my pokemon. What's the point in doing all that traveling without doing much else in between my searching?"

A grin grew on Bugsy's face, a wide and approving thing beaming at Lupin.

"So that's what you decided, huh? Well now. I didn't expect you to change your mind so easily. You seem like one of those extremely stubborn types that won't change their minds about anything once they've set it to something."

"I can be persuaded to think differently…given the argument is valid and the conclusion works well enough to benefit me."

She glanced down at Riptide as she said that and he tilted his head to view her more fully, a crimson stare watching her intently back. The Croconaw rattle-laughed, baring his crooked smile at her. She rubbed at that special spot on the back of his head, turning her mismatched gaze back on Bugsy.

"I suppose I'll need to schedule a battle with you, then."

"No need. It's been slow the last few weeks. I'm open anytime," Bugsy waved her comment away with a flap of his hand, motioning with the other toward the gym proper. "We can battle. Right now, if you'd like. I suspect you didn't just come here to drop off the tapes and rattle off a pretty little speech, did you?"

His grin turned sly and knowing. Bullet shivered beside her, and she felt the heat of his fur rise a little higher. Riptide thrummed quietly on her other side, the vibrations riding up her leg.

"I gathered as much. Right now's as good a time as any. The sooner, the better. Maybe after this, I'll go through the Ilex Forest and head for Goldenrod next. After I beat you, of course."

"Ha! Don't get _too_ cocky now. You're going to have to _earn_ that victory. I don't just hand them out." He motioned for her to follow. She trailed after him, with Riptide was close on her heels. Bullet eyed the glass doors from afar before setting out after his trainer, once satisfied that yes, Dickens the Heracross was indeed gone. Perhaps he fled when his trainer began heading for the door. Bullet decided that he was never wandering off in a gym again. He didn't need to be jumped by any other gym leader's crazed pokémon.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Kenji, the usual referee that overlooked gym matches, was still out to lunch. Asami was roused from the break room and out of a pokémon soap opera daze featuring singing Meowths from the streets to take his place. She looked just as at home on the grassy battlefield as Bugsy did lounging at the other end of things. Lupin felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through her, knocking out any chance of feeling nervous, out of place, or worse, getting cold feet about this.

If this was the way the gym leaders were willing to help her—a battle in exchange for information, then she'd be willing to shed a little of her pride to get it. Besides, she found she was getting rather good at battling. In between the reviews of the security tapes, she had taken Bullet and Riptide out on the outskirts of town and into the wilds to practice against feral pokémon.

Grinding, it was most commonly called, besides training, was needed to level up. And she needed Riptide at his top form, as well as Bullet. Even with at least one type-advantage, she wasn't about to slack off against a gym leader.

The sun was out and shining, making the entire biosphere light up. There was still a layer of dew on most of the grass as well, a field of crystallized emerald gleaming all around them with speckles of golden light in their midst. The peaceful lull was about to be destroyed by the imminent battle.

"The rules here are simple!" Asami called out, drawing both trainers out of their silent reveries. "This will be a one-on-one battle and each trainer will utilize two pokémon! When a pokémon is knocked out or unable to continue, they will be withdrawn from battle! The trainer who has the last pokémon standing will be the winner! Are there any questions?"

The willowy woman looked at Bugsy first, who shook his head, and then to Lupin. She too shook her head in response. Bullet growled softly, his frame rigid and fur standing on end. Riptide hiss-growled when he noticed they weren't entirely alone. On the fringes of the tree line, he saw unblinking buggy eyes watching them. Wings fluttered softly, antennae twitched constantly, limbs wiggled. They were anticipating the battle anxiously.

Asami picked up a flag at her feet, a faded green nylon thing that had certainly seen better days and waited. Bugsy motioned to her.

"You first. You're the challenger."

Lupin glanced at Bullet. The Growlithe looked up at her, snorted and gave her a lolling-tongued grin and an instant later, was trotting out onto the field.

Bugsy smirked a little. "Predictable. I had a feeling you were going to try to fight me with fire first. But let me tell you something right here, right now. I don't lose when it comes to bug-type pokemon. With the research I've been doing, it's going to make me the ultimate authority on them, and I aim to be the best trainer as well. I'll demonstrate what I've learned to you now!"

With that said, the young man whipped out a pokéball and tossed it onto the field. The pokéball split, and a burst of energy and light poured forth and shaped up. A moment later, a Metapod sat in the field across from Bullet.

"You ready?"

She smiled at the two of them when they nodded. Asami raised it high up above her head before bringing it down quick and hard, the flag fluttering in her wake. "BEGIN!"

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Shadows

**Chapter Twenty-Nine:  
Shadows**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own ****_Pokémon_**** in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**Note: I thought I was late, and what do you know, I was late with posting this. My bad, everyone!  
**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_To think of shadows is a serious thing._  
**-Victor Hugo**

** OoOoOoOoOoO**

"I'm beginning to believe she's not anywhere in this thrice-damned world."

The morning mist was thick and quiet as it continued to skirl about on the soft winds, cool on his skin. Ares snorted quietly beside him, ears occasionally twitching. He could hear the other rangers beginning to stir in their pitched tents. Alastor remained quiet as he stirred life back into the once-dead fire pit.

"Has it occurred to you that maybe that thing killed her? Or sent her elsewhere? Perhaps another world?"

Violet eyes flicked to the Houndoom in mild annoyance. His lips pressed tightly together as the embers in the camp fire were coaxed into a little spark. They flickered, catching onto the fresh wood and brush carefully arranged atop them. Soon he had a fire crackling away again, filling the air with the scent of wood smoke.

"No. I can smell it when others lie. And it tried its damnedest for a while. But it gave up the truth eventually. I made sure of it. Josie wasn't much kinder, either."

In the weeks following Lupin's disappearance, and his finding of the creature, he tore through every scrap of information he could to try and find its weakness. Something to use against it, but it was an ancient being, a creature lost from the pages of tomes and faded ink of scrollwork. Forgotten by time and man alike, but certainly not gone, it was a rediscovery of sorts.

One thing was certain about it, though: it hated fire with a passion. Most monsters did.

Perhaps that was why it had reacted the way it had with Lupin; to fling its fear as far away from it as possible out of irrational terror, rather than ending her. Or maybe it had delighted in tearing her out of her world and into another, like any of its other victims. It seemed to feed of the energy that leaked off the portals it created, and it had been gorging itself upon one when Alastor had found it at last. More innocent people that didn't deserve such a fate, even if they ended up in a place like this, were gone now. Perhaps they were here, or maybe they were in some other world. Who knew how many worlds this creature had access to?

At least Lupin's notes had been accurate enough for him to decipher this information, the ones from the seedy motel room she had been shacked up in at the time of her disappearance. Without her journal telling it straightforward, it took time picking through what little she had been able to uncover and the transcripts she had jotted down. Sometimes it was in jumbles, pieces, not whole on their own and out of order that only she seemed to understand. Other times, it was in an odd little code she'd make up herself that took time to unravel. In this case, it was the latter. But it had helped him greatly when he couldn't find anything in the end.

_And now I know. And she's still missing. _

Would she expect him to follow, to help her? He wouldn't have left her alone like that, she would know that. There had been moments he had come unexpectedly on one of her hunts to help her. To let her know he was there, when he could get away from his own tidings. That she wasn't alone.

It was the one thing he knew she hated and feared herself: being abandoned. Being left behind, forgotten, being left alone. She didn't voice it, and she thankfully wasn't the clingy type to overcompensate or override that fear. But it was there. Quiet-like and simmering in the back of her mind, it tried to worm its way and poison her outlook on relationships with people. It would whisper away in her ear, trying force her to push away others and continue down the self-destructive path she had once been on.

He knew that feeling all too well.

Once upon a time, she had almost let it get the best of her. It had almost kept her at bay from getting close to people. She was getting better, though. But now…now, the weeks she'd been missing have turned into months. Soon it'd be half a year gone by, and what did he have to show for it?

Alastor drew himself from his thoughts before they could grow worse. A shrill, whistling screech carried itself on the morning air. Feng appeared an instant later, a grey shape in the misty fog at first, landing heavily on a jutting tree branch not far from Alastor's tent. Her rust-coloured feathers looked dull in the pale grey dawn light.

"Morning," he called out to the Talonflame. She bobbed her head in greeting. She had a dead Patrat caught in her claws. The dusty brown coat of fur was covered in dirt and blood, no doubt from a struggle of predator and prey. Feng dipped her head and jerked a piece of stringy gristle from her prize.

Ares snorted again, watching the bird of prey through half-lidded, lazy eyes.

"Bird's gonna drip that thing's blood and guts all over our tent." He grumbled, slowly lumbering upright to his feet. "Hey! _Hey!_ Go eat that at another perch! Hey!"

Feng tilted her head to peer at the Houndoom, her eyes flashing with annoyance. She hissed at him, beak gaping wide and feathers ruffling. Alastor paused in getting his own breakfast prepped to look up at the Talonflame.

"Feng," he called softly. He nodded his head to another tree, just a few yards away from where he was camped. "I don't want you staining the tent again. Go."

Her beak clacked shut loudly and after gathering her meal in her talons, she took off again to a new perch. But, not before dipping low enough to lightly scratch at Ares' retreating backside with her free foot. The Houndoom snarled, and snapped his jaws, but didn't pursue the bird as she glided away. Instead, he flopped back in his original place and watched the merry little cook fire. He heaved a heavy sigh.

"She might not be in Kalos, then. Maybe one of the other regions. That thing might have dropped her off elsewhere and you away from her on purpose to screw with your head." Ares finally amended, woofing softly.

Alastor nodded. The thought had occurred to him, yes. Not for the first time, either. He'd have to reach out more and farther, to the rangers, the police departments, perhaps even the professors of respective regions and find her. He had been hoping to see signs of her somewhere, anywhere, but that wasn't the case he was coming to find.

He could easily slip away. Employment with the rangers had been a means to an end; they traveled frequently enough and paid well. Not as well as his job with DEM, of course. But it wouldn't help him if they were taking him further away from his goals and the longer he stayed, the more likely the forged paperwork he had would make him soon enough.

He eyed the rows of tents, heard the quiet shuffle of bodies working their ways out of the synthetic cocoons to greet the cool morning air. One of them noticed Alastor and gave a sleepy wave. Alastor nodded in return. Ares watched with a suspicious eye. It had taken the Houndoom a long while to loosen up around the other rangers, to not raise his hackles and go on the defensive if they came too close to Alastor. Trust came slowly to the Houndoom.

The man yawned and stretched, shuffling off toward the small brook not far from their encampment. The werewolf watched until the man disappeared from sight, but he could still hear the ranger well and clear.

Alastor liked the unit well enough. But he felt his time here was coming to a close. He could easily make money to travel another way. He could travel well enough without these people too.

"We'll strike out on our own before we start heading for Mount Molteau," he told Ares.

The Houndoom offered a smile with all teeth and laughed. "When?"

"End of the day," Alastor said, lifting his gaze up to see the other ranger returning. "We'll be gone at the end of the day."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

She awoke with a start, her heart pumping hard in her chest. A rush of white noise roared in her ears that died as suddenly as her waking. It was soon drowned out by the quiet beeping of an EKG machine. She breathed deep and wiped at her clammy brow, finding it slick with sweat. Her hand was shaking. She couldn't remember what she'd dreamed, but she had been afraid. The feeling of fear resonated for long and lonely minutes, and she sat there, trying to steady herself and focus on where she was instead.

She was okay. She was alive. There was nothing to be afraid of in here.

The air was stale and cold, filled with the scents of bleach and fur and blood and antiseptic.

Lupin blinked, trying to clear her vision, but even when she was looking around, she wasn't quite taking it in. Not at first.

Only when she looked at the comfy, padded bed beside her did she calm herself. Bullet was resting. He was okay. He was hurt, but he was okay and recovering. There was only so much the nurses at the Pokémon Center could do with their healing machines before surgical intervention was needed in its stead. He was fine, or so she was told, just needed some stitches, an overnight observation period, and then he'd be free to go. Today, in fact.

She leaned forward, her neck aching from the crick in it, and reached out to gingerly run her hand over his fur. He stirred at the gesture, breathing long and deep, but didn't wake.

Lupin watched the Growlithe for a time, occasionally breaking her gaze to look at the beeping machines and the quiet, steady rhythm that indicated his blood pressure, heart rate, and so on. An IV drip with hydrating liquids in a banana bag stood beside the machinery, the clear tubing snaking its way onto the bed and threaded by needle into Bullet. He didn't seem too bothered by it.

The battle had gone well enough, she reflected. The Metapod that Bugsy had sent out had been more challenging than she'd originally anticipated. It had hit hard and hit fast, and it had drained Bullet more than she had realized. It was the Scyther that nearly did him in. The wounds had been deep, but she had recalled him just in time, the nurses told her. Locked in stasis in his pokéball, Bullet was saved the trouble of bleeding out too quickly. It slowed everything down, gave him a chance. If she had waited any longer, he would have died.

Riptide had to get out and take care of the Scyther in the end. It was fast too, faster than the Metapod, but Riptide's hard scales were a saving grace compared to Bullet's soft furred body. But the Scyther had fallen, in the end, to Riptide's newly learned Ice Fang attack. Bug-types were vulnerable to ice as much as they were to fire. It had been Lupin's follow-up plan in case Bullet went down, and she was glad she had put in the extra time to ensure the Croconaw could learn it in time.

Something stirred beside her, drawing her out of her thoughts. She turned in time to see Riptide stirring beside her, snort-huffing out from his nostrils, as though trying to expel all evidence from his body, inside and out. He turned his crimson eyes toward Lupin first, blinking slow and steady, clacking his jaws. He turned to look at the bed next, and hummed low in his throat.

"Is the furball still asleep?"

She nodded, shifting in her seat. Her back hurt from the cramped, stiff position she'd fallen asleep in.

"Mmmm. Yeah. He's fine. Just resting." She looked toward the door suddenly, hearing approaching footfalls. She had been somewhat listening to them, coming and going, but now they were heading their way. An instant later, a nurse appeared, her jade-coloured hair haloed by the brighter lights outside.

"Oh, you're still here? I thought you'd have gone back to your room for the night." She stepped inside, and gestured to the curtains. Lupin nodded in return, and the woman opened the curtains. Early morning sunlight filtered inside, flaring up the dust motes and making them dance in the visible shafts of light. Bullet stirred again and whined low in his throat.

"Too bright…'m still tired…" He muttered, lifting his paws clumsily to cover his eyes.

Lupin smiled and leaned forward, gently rubbing his head. "Hey, sleepy head. Almost time to go."

Bullet lowered a paw and peeped one blue eye open, still glazed with sleep and exhaustion. His thick, cream-coloured tail wagged slightly at the sight of her.

The nurse was checking machinery, smiling as she went, before checking on Bullet himself. He sat up halfway through the examination, giving up on going back to sleep. The bandage around his midsection was changed, as was the one on his front left paw. The stitches were examined as she did this, occasionally asking Lupin to help. Riptide had taken over the seat Lupin once used, wanting to see the proceedings. He was quiet the entire time, while the nurse filled the silence with her own words, mostly instructions on how to care for Bullet for the next few days.

"In a few days, the stitches will dissolve. We have the super potion working its way in his system, but he'll need more applications until then, at least twice a day, three if you can. Have him take it easy, no battling whatsoever."

After that, Bullet was unhooked from the various machines. The nurse was kind and gentle, making it easier for the Growlithe. He limped around the room for a test run, found he could walk fine enough and moved to the door. Lupin took that enough as a sign without needing words, thanked the nurse and led the way out. Riptide followed without a word himself.

Down the cool hallway the trio went, until they were back in the Pokémon Center proper. The lobby was stuffed with people. Outside was bright and sunny, but most were crowded around the television sets littering the cushy space. There was a low buzzing of voices rolling over one another in waves, but she could hear the program playing on all televisions: it was an interview with the Johto-Kanto League Champion, Lance. The redhead was groomed, prim and proper, for the occasion. He smiled at the interviewer, a pretty blonde woman with watery blue eyes and a sleek suit.

Riptide watched the screen for a moment, then trotted after Lupin when she began to move again. Bullet was scooped in her arms, looking exhausted. He sighed, reluctant to leave.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The gait outside coming closer was familiar to her, even if she barely knew it. There was something about listening to things, rather than filling the silence with her own noise. The hushed rushing of cloven and hooved feet; the whisper of paws running in the forest; the frantic breathing of prey; the flutter of a rising heart rate…the sliding of shoed feet in an urban setting.

Her neighbor to the left shuffled with the stubbornness of a young child. Her neighbor to her right clomped without realizing it. The neighbor at the end of the opposite end of the hallway, all the way down, treaded lightly and quietly, as though they had danced with grace once upon a time.

She recognized these people she didn't know by scent and hearing alone, even if she didn't know their names or their faces.

Bugsy's walk was a purposeful stride that carried him swiftly to Lupin's room in the Pokémon Center's lodgings. She heard him long before she smelled him, and even before she saw him. She was mildly surprised by his visit, even if she could hear him coming up the stairwell and down the hallway. She got up at last when he knocked on the door without hesitance and opened it.

"How's your Growlithe?" He said in way of greeting, dark eyes flicking past her into the room. He saw Bullet sitting on the bedspread, eyes glued to her television screen, ears flicked forward in curiousity. Riptide was coming out of the bathroom, still dripping from his soak in the tub.

"He's doing fine, thanks." She narrowed her eyes at the young man, bracing her arm behind the door a little more securely. "Something tells me you don't do this often. Checking on a challenger's pokémon, that is."

"Just the ones that get badly hurt," he countered. "I'm sure you've seen plenty of nasty injuries occurring in the tapes."

She had. She just didn't know what happened beyond that. Lupin relaxed a little. "He's doing fine," she repeated. "Thank you."

He relaxed as well, a tension in his face she hadn't noticed until it left draining from his frame. "Good. I'm glad. Contrary to popular belief, I don't like it when my Scyther land such horrible blows to others' pokémon. It's horrible losing a partner. I've lost many, I know the feeling. The reason I work with them so much is to try and curb that urge. Scyther are strong-headed, and they tend to resort to killing instinct in battle. There's a bit of a stigma against Scyther that I'm trying to erase from societal beliefs. I've come pretty far with the ones I have now. Years ago, I wouldn't have used them at all in a gym battle."

"That…sounds pretty vaguely horrifying," Lupin said, feeling queasy at the implications his explanation gave.

"You don't want to know the gory details," he confirmed with a Mareephish grin. Clearing his throat, he dug into the back pocket of his khaki pants and produced a folded pamphlet.

"Look…I'm sorry you weren't able to find the people you were looking for. And for the injuries of your Growlithe. It's the reality of a gym battle, and the risks as well." He started off, flipping the pamphlet over to show the cover. "I just got a few battles scheduled for the next few days, last minute things, you see. And I have these reservations down in another town that I can't fulfill anymore because of them. So, instead of canceling, I thought to myself, someone else could benefit from this more than me."

Lupin studied the cover. It showcased a city on the water, with a myriad of pokémon performing water-type attacks to create artistic flairs into the air. '_Alto Mare Summer Sea Festival_' was written in bold white lettering at the top of the pamphlet. She lifted her eyes back up to Bugsy's.

"And what do you benefit from this charitable act? Good publicity?"

He looked wounded at the jab and placed a hand over his heart.

"I'm _offended_ you'd think I'd do this for sheer publicity! The mere _suggestion_ is horrendous slander to my good name! I'm _always_ charitable." Bugsy sobered and offered the pamphlet again, smiling. "I'm being genuine with my concern for your pokémon and you. And you'll need to visit as many places as you can, if you want to find out where you originally came from. And who you once were, and who the people in your photos are. Besides, Alto Mare is a beautiful place. Not like the Ilex Forest is for me, but to each their own. I'm sure your Croconaw would enjoy it. They've got plenty of relaxing festivities you can enjoy while you're there."

Lupin looked to the proffered pamphlet and slowly, reached for it. There were other papers inside, and something else as well. Something small and hard. Bugsy's hand slipped away as soon as she secured hers around the papers and gave her a nod. "You'll be okay, Lupin. Even if you don't find the people you're looking for right away, I can tell. You'll be okay, in the end."

He grinned, giving her a small salute and turned on his heel, his marching and confident gait taking him back the way he'd come. He paused near the end of the hallway, still within earshot.

"By the way, you earned that! Your pokémon were tough. You should be proud. Especially of your Growlithe."

The werewolf rubbed her thumb along the object beneath the pamphlet cover and opened it. Inside, the Hive Badge sat, its red and black finish shining brightly in the fluorescent lighting. When she looked up again, Bugsy was gone, his footsteps retreating down the stairwell.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The ticket proclaimed they were needed in the small fishing village to the south of Azalea by tomorrow evening. It was half a day's walk, not far at all to the coast. Even the hotel arrangements in Alto Mare had been made, from tomorrow at check in to five days from now. It really did look enticing. And once more, Bugsy had made a rather succinct point. She'd need to hit as many places if she wanted to cover all bases on her case.

Bullet was snoozing against her side, still sleeping off the medicinal cocktail coursing through his body. Riptide was laying his bony skull across her belly, eyes closed, napping just as lightly. She carefully disentangled herself from the two, allowing them to sleep off their exhaustion while she began packing.

The evening came, her pokémon awoke and they went down to eat. One of the nurses, the same from earlier that morning, came to find her. She wanted to double-check on Bullet, and made small talk to see where Lupin was going.

"I saw Bugsy leaving just as I was taking my shift at the front and I knew you had your match with him the other day. What was it he wanted?"

"To check on Bullet, and to offer a course of direction. He suggested Alto Mare."

"Ohhhh, that's right! The Sea Festival! It's a great event, goes on for almost a month when summer comes along. It's almost over, but I've already been. I wish I could stay the whole month, but I love my work here. Couldn't leave these critters for good, even if I tried."

She smiled sweetly at Bullet as she said this. He grinned, tongued lolling, in response and barked at her. The nurse smiled and rubbed her nose against his cold, wet one and he slurped at her face. Riptide made a noise of disgust in the back of his throat, shrinking further away from the Growlithe. He turned back to his meal of flaky and fresh fish meat, eyeballing Bullet suspiciously through narrowed crimson eyes.

Lupin smiled at a little as the nurse stood and brushed imaginary lint from her scrubs. "Well, I think he'll be fit enough to travel. It's not that far a walk, if you leave early enough. Hope you have fun!"

She left with that said and a wave. Riptide tipped his snout upward toward Lupin.

"Alto Mare?" He queried interestedly. "The City of Water?"

"_Water_?" Bullet muttered, making an ugly snorting noise. Riptide shot him a glare. Bullet sniffed pointedly, although his ears pressed against his head in reticence.

"Yeah, Alto Mare," Lupin continued, carefully watching the two. Satisfied that they weren't, for once, going to fight much further, she nodded. "We'll be there by tomorrow evening."

Riptide hummed. Lupin noticed he's been doing that lately. The skin beneath his jaw and along his neck puffed out, his eyes closing in contemplation. Or was it a pleased look? It was sometimes hard to tell with his lack of actual facial expressions. Bullet eased into the idea with a sniff and look at the pamphlet. He whined.

"We won't have to swim around this place, will we?"

"No, no. No swimming. Looks like there's plenty of walkways and bridges, and even gondolas to get across the canals. We'll be fine." She said as she reached over to rub at his head. He leaned into the familiar touch and licked his chops.

"Well…okay." He said quietly, turning back to his food. Riptide downed the last of his food as well. Lupin was already done, waiting for the two of them. They returned to their room, and Lupin finished the last of the packing, and parked her bag by the door, ready to go in the morning. They turned in early, Bullet still feeling exhaustion gripping him. Riptide felt rested, but he clambered onto the bed all the same, taking his place beside his trainer, as close as he could to her warmth. Bullet was already snoozing away, his head tucked into the crook of Lupin's neck, his warm breath tickling her skin. For a long while, Riptide sat there, listening to Bullet's breathing and feeling Lupin's. Her hand was on his back, quiet and still. He realized he was the only one left awake and stayed that way for what seemed like hours.

Morning came too soon for him, but at the same time…it took too long. He found himself on the other side of the bed, near the foot of it with his tail dangling over the edge. Bullet wasn't far from him. Lupin had curled herself to the opposite side of them both, tangled in the sheets. Crying. Muttering to herself. Tense and twitching.

Riptide got up in a hurry, crawling over to her. Before he reached her, she screamed and sat up, her eyes wide open and breathing haggardly. He flopped over backwards to avoid her flailing arms, and struggled back upright, but he hadn't missed the look on her face. Pure, undulated terror. Tears down her face. She couldn't breathe right, and he suddenly worried that she was going to need a human doctor to look at her. But could a human doctor help her, if she wasn't even human herself? Did she even go to the doctor like humans do?

The questions fled as quickly as they came as Lupin seemed to realize where she was and got up in a hurry, thrashing her way out of the sheets. She stumbled to the bathroom. Something stirred behind Riptide and he glanced over to see Bullet getting down off the other side of the bed. He grunted softly and limped his way after Lupin. Riptide did the same, trailing after the Growlithe.

"What's wrong with her? Why was she screaming?"

"Bad dreams," Riptide answered as they entered the bathroom behind their trainer. She was hunched over the sink, gripping it with both hands on rigid, lean arms. Like she was trying to stop herself from shaking. Her tail was bristled and standing completely on end. She shuddered and let out a breath to reflect that motion.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to wake you two…" She said after a minute of silence.

"Can you stop? The bad dreams, I mean."

"I don't know how," she whispered back, her voice hoarse and strained. "I don't know why I'm having them. I don't know what they even mean. I don't even remember what goes on in them. I just remember feeling so scared…and I wake up afraid. I don't know why."

Her shoulders shook and she sobbed.

"I just want them to _stop_."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The rest of the morning was both a haze and a rush. Before they all knew it, they were back on the road. The morning fog had rolled out in full force on Azalea City as they marched outside its borders and struck out south. The skies were clear, but the ground was anything but. The forested trails to the fishing village of Mako was a grey, shapeless cluster in the distance as they pushed forward. The quiet and shrill cries of Pidgey and Spearow alike was their music on the road. The morning fog silently curled its cold, damp fingers around everything.

It provided them with little scenery to look at as they traipsed further along south.

None of them spoke about the incident earlier. Lupin had nothing to discern from her waking nightmares. Bullet didn't know how to talk to her about them, didn't know the first thing about approaching the subject. Riptide knew a little more, but he too wasn't sure how to broach the subject. It almost seemed pointless. She couldn't remember anything from them, and pushing her would only give her a headache and nothing else to show for it. Telling her she'd be okay felt like a hollow gesture, a weak lie when he honestly had no clue.

He wondered again if she needed to see a doctor for these things, or if they would eventually pass with them. But they were getting worse, he realized. Worse and more frequent. She once could be stilled while she slept with a mere touch, with him lying down on her stomach to calm her. Now she's not even staying close enough for him to reach her in the dead of night.

So he said nothing too.

They broke off the main road for a break, both to eat and to let Bullet rest. Lupin offered to carry him, but even after thinking about it, he shook his head. "I'm feeling fine, really. I just need this break, is all."

They were back on the road in an hour, and the fog was finally gone. Crisp, warm sunlight threaded its golden tendrils down, heating things up until it was sweltering. The fishing village of Mako came into sight, slow and steady over the cresting of a hill, with the sparkling silvery-blue shine of the ocean in its backdrop. Little schooners and fishing boats with nettings draped over their sides and plunging into the deep blue sea were all over the water's surface. Wood smoke drifted up into the air, pale grey little wisps that scattered and were easily lost into the blue of the sky.

People and pokémon alike milled along the quays and wharfs and docks, while boats were skittering across the waters or carefully anchoring themselves down. Lupin watched with a little wonder on her face. Riptide inhaled deeply and hissed softly.

"Ohhhh, I want some fish now…" he muttered hungrily. Really, that on-the-road processed tripe he had to eat barely qualified as food. He didn't know how Bullet could just gobble it all up and happily ask for seconds. Lupin laughed, and it was a soft sound that startled him. She had barely spoken today in light of her early morning terrors. It was almost refreshing to hear her laugh.

They had plenty of time to spare by the time they made it into the village proper. The boat that would take them was called the _Angelique_, and she was accepting passengers as early as two hours prior to departure. They had to wait about an hour, so Lupin suggested they snoop about, perhaps grab a few extra supplies, and maybe some food. Riptide pounced on that idea as soon as she finished, immediately concurring they should get more food first.

"You just want the fish," Bullet remarked. Riptide sniffed pointedly and croak-laughed.

"I have a transparent agenda, yes. I'm also still hungry." He tilted his head to peer up at Lupin, eye narrowing with mirth. "And I know you are always hungry."

She offered a scant, embarrassed smile. Bullet snorted softly but limped alongside her and Riptide as they made their way along the wooden docks. The hour flew by quickly, with Riptide ending up with a huge slab of tuna fish in his jaws. He'd stop every time Lupin did and tear chunks off the scaly fish hide. Bullet would steal stray bits, much to Riptide's consternation and irritation. Lupin had no luck in getting her extra supplies and concluded she'd have to wait until they reached Alto Mare.

The captain of the _Angelique_ greeted them as they approached the gangplank, taking her ticket and examining it. He nodded, waving her through onto the main deck. Over the next two hours, about twenty or thirty people were milling about the ship. The crew worked furiously to meet their deadline and before long, the _Angelique_ was pushing away from Mako.

Lupin watched as the mainland slowly shrank in the distance, the sea swallowing it up as the Angelique picked up speed. The sun was still hanging in the sky, a golden halo of burning light to their right. The sea churned and frothed beneath the bow of the ship as they sluiced through the waves. The waters were mostly bright and cheery, warm and inviting. She watched, even as Riptide snapped at Bullet and defended his dwindling scraps of tuna fish. The crowds around her were too absorbed in their own little worlds, mingling with one another while she sat on the second deck, watching. Staring into the horizon.

She stirred when she saw a large, dark shape passing within a hundred yards of the _Angelique_. Keeping up with the ship, in fact. Long and slippery, it sluiced through the waves just as easily as the shape. It breached the surface—if only for a second—before dipping back under the waves and breaking off away from its race with the ship.

She got the impression of something sleek with an arching back.

The shadowy shape was swallowed by the waves and the ambiguous shape of the creature disappeared from sight completely.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	31. Chapter Thirty: Hymn to the Sea

**Chapter Thirty:  
Hymn to the Sea**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own ****_Pokémon_**** in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**Note: Ahhhh, the thirty-chapter mark! I'm so happy! **

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_The sea always filled her with longing, though for what she was never sure."  
_**-Cornelia Funke, "****_Inkheart_****"**

** OoOoOoOoOoO**

Alto Mare was alit like a glittering, golden jewel in the midst of darkness. The sky above it only seemed to reflect it in silver and pearly speckles. Even after night had fallen, the energy in the city simply crackled in the air, giving it an electric life all its own. Pokémon and people alike were milling about everywhere—from the docks to the rooftops, the streets and the watery canals that Alto Mare was so famous for. When the _Angelique_ was moored, Lupin waited for the crowd of passengers to thin out before following.

As they moved deeper into the city, she was only beginning to realize just how vast and complex the city was. It was aptly named 'City of Water' and for good reason. The brochure cover did Alto Mare little justice. It didn't show the absolute level of detail concerning little waterways, channels, and canals that it was simply littered with. From little decorative bridges to the wide and expansively lavish ones; the gondolas carrying pokémon and human passengers alike; the glittering jade waters; the tight and compacted homes that made it look undeniably and surprisingly cozy at the same time…

She could only imagine how it must look in the daylight. The buildings were simple and elegant, yet complex all at once. The thin, winding walkways were crowded with people, busy bustling to get to their destinations. And if they weren't on the walkways, the bridges, or balconies overlooking the waters, they were on it—in gondolas and paddle boats, even a few kayaks, canoes, and motorboats of varying sizes were present. Perched atop the buildings and crawling along the walls, Lupin began to notice that there were wreathes of tangled ivy and plumes of tree foliage. It was certainly a very green-themed city, from the waters below to the rooftops above. Banners and garlands pronouncing the city's Summer Sea Festival were hanging from buildings, accompanied by colourful and cheery lights.

Along the more spacious of walkways, there were vendors beneath canopied tents hawking their wares—some food, others drink, most boasted trinkets such as t-shirts, mugs, hats, keychains, sticks, miniature flags and banners, pokéball engravings, and even handmade wares such as jewelry, pottery, glassware, paintings, leathers, feathers, shells…

There was so much going on, it was difficult to take it in all at once. Bullet certainly didn't seem to suffer from that. He was taking huge whiffs of the air and honed in on the foodstuffs that were fresh from bakeries, stovetops, and fire pits. His stomach gave a gurgle, and he couldn't decide which direction to trot off towards to investigate.

One canal-side bar was simply thriving with people celebrating and creating a joyful racket.

Riptide sniffed pointedly and winced and especially loud cheer that made the air simply vibrate from the sheer volume.

"Where are we supposed to go?"

Lupin glanced down, her mouth open to answer when someone crashed into her. Her hair flew in a tumble and it wasn't the only thing—her hat fell on top of Riptide's. For a very long, breathless moment, neither of them moved. The collider—a boisterously loud woman—tottered with a cackle, a glass beer bottle in hand. She twirled clumsily on her feet, turning back towards Lupin and placed her free hand on the werewolf's shoulder, gripping more for support than anything.

"Oh-oh-oh! I'm so sorry, honey—I didn't see you there, you're so small!" The woman slurred her words and then stopped, squinting at Lupin before she burst into another wide grin and laughed. "Oh, lookit your little Eevee ears, they're so adorable! And those colours—oh look, look, look! Where'd you get them? Did you get them here somewhere? You've got to tell me, they're so cuuuuuute!"

Lupin offered a nervous grin when the woman's hand moved to Lupin's head, groping at one of her ears. She had to consciously still them and keep them from jerking when the woman yanked. She moved away from her, offering a nervous smile as she snatched up her hat from Riptide's head, replacing it on her own.

"Oh, no, I got them elsewhere. Can't remember exactly, sorry!"

She quickly motioned for Riptide and Bullet to start moving and followed after them with a dismissive wave of her hand. The crowd easily swallowed the three of them up as they moved further along. The woman's cries for them to stop and hold on faded quickly enough as they made their impromptu escape. A small corner café that was less crowded then its neighboring vendors was a good place to rest and they did so, taking a patio seat. Lupin gently laid her pack down. Riptide crawled into the other chair opposite his trainer. Bullet laid close by her feet, curling around her boots and faced the passing crowds.

"Geez. I didn't think it'd be this…big of a deal."

"It has to be. This city is sinking." Lupin blinked, staring at Riptide. He placed his bony chin on the iron-wrought table. When she didn't say anything, he continued, "Alto Mare was a lot larger, once upon a time. But over the years, it's been sinking, inch by inch. They predict Alto Mare will have fully sunk back into the ocean in a few decades. Or so I've heard. From Phillip."

"Phillip?" Lupin blinked, surprised. Bullet whined, tilting his head back to stare between his trainer and Riptide.

"He once mentioned he had a distant cousin here, along with a few other facts about this place. For example," he paused, glancing off toward the canals and nodded toward it. "There's a water-type pokémon chariot race of some sort here. Maybe we could watch it, if we didn't miss it already."

He offered his crooked smile to her, tilting his head to view her better. Lupin sighed, a small smile alighting her face.

"We can look into it. But, I think we should try to find out where we're staying first."

With that said, she began digging into her pack and fished out the paperwork Bugsy had given her—an outline of her passage on the Angelique, the hotel reservations, and the brochure outlining only a fraction of key activities and events that were occurring during the festival.

She hesitated, noticing a familiar speckled pattern peeking out from beneath the folds of her extra clothes. She set the papers aside on the table and stooped to scoop up the pokémon egg. It slipped out with ease into her hands. She could feel the warmth and soft stirrings of life within. She examined the egg carefully, ensuring it was still intact and unscathed during her sojourn through the crowded streets of Alto Mare. She tried to sit with it nearly every night, when she could, hoping it would hatch. And every night she was disappointed, her gut instinct telling her it just wasn't time yet.

When she concluded the speckled surface was safe and sound, she carefully replaced it back in her pack and rearranged the extra clothing around it. She sighed at the state of her clothes, picking at a piece of frayed edges before closing her bag. It was quite possibly time to replace her spare clothing.

"Guess we should find out where we're staying, then," she concluded softly, picking up her pack to slide onto her shoulder once more. "And that means directions."

She ended up asking a barista within the café they had taken refuge by where she needed to go. A few minutes later, she was walking out with not only directions, but a cup of coffee sweetened by chocolate. It was foamy and soothing to the taste as they wandered down Alto Mare's streets. At one point they had to gain a ride from a gondola to reach their destination. They passed beneath arching bridges and narrow channels before coming out to a main hub of traffic with other types of little transport boats. Her gondolier was more than happy to rattle off facts about his city, and he was rather proud of it, if his tone of voice was evidence enough.

As they passed through the open area, he made a sweeping motion behind the werewolf and she had to glance back to see where he was gesturing. She followed where he was pointing and stared up at the large obelisks overlooking the water. Atop the pillars were carvings of winged pokémon, the two of them facing one another. She almost believed they were identical until she noticed a few minute differences between the statues.

"That's Latias and Latios, the Guardians of Alto Mare. They protect our city whenever danger arises."

"If they're protecting this city, then why is it still sinking? That's a kind of danger, isn't it?" Riptide muttered, although the gondolier didn't hear.

"Pretty soon there won't be a city left to protect," Bullet agreed, leaning over the edge of the gondola to stare into the waters. Something rippled beneath the surface, startling him. He reeled back, not wanting to risk getting a face full of water gun from some water-type pokémon lurking below.

Lupin nudged Riptide in the side gently with her hiking boots. He grumbled some more, but fell quiet. The gondola ride soon ended and after paying their fee, they were on their way. The hotel wasn't too far off. After visiting the concierge and confirming the reservation changes were indeed legitimate, they were riding the elevator to one of the top most floors. The suite they were given was spacious and much larger than Lupin was used to. Bullet didn't seem to mind and went off exploring as fast as his body would allow him. Riptide stepped past the threshold with care and suspicion, sniffing the air delicately after Lupin had swung the door open to admit them inside.

"Geez. Ritzy, ain't it?"

A king-sized bed with a soft mattress, plush comforters and squishy pillows was hidden in the bedroom. Adjoined to the bedroom was a bathroom that had a stand-in shower with a bench inside. A small kitchenette and living space were the center pieces of the suite, completing the entire room. After dropping her pack off into the bedroom, Lupin moved to open the glass doors that led to an overhanging balcony. It had a beautiful view of Alto Mare in all its glittering glory. She could hear the various uprisings of celebrations and nightly events going on all across the city. Far down below, there was another waterway, thin and winding through the buildings. It was empty of gondolas or any other transport, for now.

Lupin turned back inside, sighing as she took in the lush carpets and aesthetically pleasing complimenting furniture. Spartanly decorated, it was not. It was rather lavish. Bullet was lounging on one of the leather couches, dozing slightly. Riptide had taken a spot on the other end, looking quite content at the reprieve.

"Looks like we have some time on our hands to enjoy this place. After we hit the police station, that is."

"You don't think I came from here?"

Riptide gave an ugly sort of hissing snort before it devolved into croaking laughter.

"Do you?" He remarked sharply.

The werewolf gazed back outside past the open doors to the balcony. She tried to search for a determinate answer to that question by studying Alto Mare's skyline, as though by some miracle it'd be there, telling her yes, maybe, she did belong here. Lupin frowned, unsettled by her lack of feeling for the place. It was a beautiful place, to be sure, but…she didn't feel much of anything for it, much less for any place she's last been in. No stirring of long lost memories, no ounce of recognition. The most she could say she felt anything was….

It was when she was flying on the back of a pokémon. When Ridgeback had first given her a ride, and then later on when the Azalea City Police Department had flown her twice over, she had slowly felt…something. She wasn't sure what to make of it other than perhaps…she had once used flying-type pokémon. And maybe she used to fly with them a lot.

A familiar ache in her chest and the thought of Syd flashed through her mind.

She shook her head at last. As beautiful as the city was, she didn't think she was from here either.

But that didn't mean she was going to simply decide not to try searching for herself in Alto Mare.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Another dead end.

The police department processed her request to view the missing persons reports, but even after going through the files, there was nothing on her specifically. No records, reports, or files had been put through the department with her name in the listing. Neither were there any for the one name she had now: Alastor.

It left her feeling all kinds of crummy when she stepped out of the building, hours later after she had arrived. She blinked into the afternoon sun, glad for the shade her hat's brim offered her.

"I didn't think you'd find anything, but…I was almost hoping," Riptide commented quietly as they departed. Bullet perked, staring at the Croconaw in surprise.

"Were you really?"

"Partly. It would mean this whole thing wouldn't be so…"

"Hopeless?" Lupin finished. The Croconaw faltered, looking away. Bullet whined, pressing close to her leg for some small amount of comfort. She sighed, stooping long enough to rub his head. "I know you think it's hopeless, Rip. It's…it's okay. It's not like the thought hasn't crossed my mind."

She offered a vague sort of half-smile, but Riptide could tell his trainer wasn't all there at the moment. There was a distant look in her eyes, even when she was looking at him. Bullet nudged him and pressed forward with a slight limp.

"We'll find out who you really are. Don't worry so much. We can't just give up."

The half-smiled turned a little more genuine. Riptide felt himself relax.

"C'mon. I guess we can at least pretend to enjoy ourselves while we're here and not waste this opportunity, right?"

With a nod of her head down the street, she led the way. Soon they hit one of the main avenues of bustling activity, although it was hard not to miss those, they were nearly everywhere. There were more people milling about the vendors, more voices adding to the cacophony arising in the air.

Bullet often disappeared amid the sea of bodies, and a small part of her worried when she couldn't see him for long periods of time. He always came back but after the third time, she told him to stick by her.

"Do you want another Azalea Gym incident?"

He grumbled and muttered, but looked abashed enough as way of answer and stood beside her as they made their way through. Riptide paused at one vendor offering barbequed squid and fried fish. If he could have drooled, he would have, it all smelled absolutely delicious. Lupin bought him three of each, and one of each for herself and Bullet.

Another vendor was offering items that were boosters for all types of pokémon—from tablets, gems, and incense, they seemed to have a little of everything. Lupin purchased a piece of charcoal and a mystic water pendent from the vendor. Bullet was ecstatic at having an item that could boost his fire attacks. Riptide was a little more reserved, but he eyed the pendent Lupin offered him with a pleased gleam in his reptilian eyes. She carefully looped the leather cord around his head and it settled nice and snug around his neck. The clear blue of the little talisman caught light and it practically twinkled.

"Thank you, it's…it's wonderful. This will help me out a lot in the future."

Bullet was a little harder to figure out how to get the piece of charcoal to sit with him. He couldn't exactly carry it. An idea struck her and after nearly an hour of further wandering, she found what she was looking for. It came in the form of a pokémon store that had not only collars fitted with identification tags, but could also carry miscellaneous objects—such as boost items. She found a good collar, fitted a dog tag on it with her information and an extra thong loop that could latch onto the charcoal for Bullet. It was a surprisingly common object that was in popular demand. Pokémon who had no available limbs to carry boost-effect items needed some manner to carry it on their persons and the collars were simply an easier way to do it.

Riptide found he was fondling the little pendent charm as they wandered the streets after the store pit stop. They meandered about mostly aimlessly, sometimes with a destination in hand. It depended on what Lupin heard, and she could hear quite a lot.

Surprisingly, they went unchallenged as they moseyed so freely throughout the city. Others were challenged and many more did the challenging, but so far, they had remained unmolested.

He didn't foresee that remaining the same for much longer.

They paused at an open courtyard, the ground paved with cobblestones and a few benches to relax on. Most were looped around the trunk of a tree. A fountain sat in the same courtyard, close to the shade of the tree. It was already occupied with a woman was bathing her Poliwhirl at it, but she was wrapping it up as soon as Lupin and her team was arriving. Clad in a simple tank top, white skirt and black flats, she was a pretty little thing, perhaps a little younger than Lupin. Patting the Poliwhirl on the head, she turned off the facet. This earned a dissatisfied gurgle but the Poliwhirl trotted after its trainer in the end, up a flight of stairs to a higher level walkway and then they were gone.

Lupin offered to douse Riptide in it, and he quickly took her up on it. It was soothing, having running water rushing over his body. And he swore, the mystic water pendent felt warmer against his scales. As soon as the water stopped, however, it faded away slowly.

"Hey…hey Lupin…that lady's staring at us."

The werewolf looked at Bullet first. He was staring up at a higher walkway above them. Lupin followed his blue gaze and found that they were being watched. The girl in question was young, perhaps in her early twenties. Her dark brown hair was worn short and slightly flared out at the ends. She wore a green blouse and white skirt that accentuated her form quite nicely. A white beret hat sat perched atop her head. She smiled when Lupin noticed her, her sienna brown eyes dancing with mirth. She fiddled with a satchel at her side for a moment, before returning her gaze back on Lupin.

Bullet watched with a curious tilt of the head, blue eyes wide as he assessed the young woman.

"She's pretty." Lupin raised a brow and the Growlithe noticed. He sheepishly amended quickly, "Um...not that you aren't pretty, Lupin…heh."

She snorted. "I'm not one to care about looks, you should know that by now."

"Of course you're not," Riptide rattle-laughed. Lupin scowled back, but it was halfhearted and dropped within a heartbeat. She looked up to see the young girl still watching her, that silly little smile on her face. Lupin gave a cursory glance around, checking to see if there was anyone else, but so far, the foot traffic was waltzing right past the little courtyard with nary a care.

Lupin returned her gaze to meet the girl's. "Is…there something I can help you with?"

The girl perked, standing up a little straighter at being addressed. Her smile was still in place, but it had mellowed a little, as though she was pleased at having been spoken to at last. She canted her head to the side, as though thinking on the answer, before motioning for the werewolf to follow.

Riptide hissed quietly until it grew to a raspy rattle.

"Something's not right."

Lupin narrowed her eyes. Something was off, but she didn't sense danger. She inhaled slowly, carefully analyzing what she could smell and found…nothing. Nothing that would allude to harm or malicious intentions, at the very least. She was beginning to get good at recognizing danger just by the tastes and scents of the very air.

It was like she had a personal lie detector of sorts built into her nose.

"I think we'll be fine. Trust me on this?"

Riptide hesitated. On the one paw, he didn't want to trust her. Following strange girls in a strange city—that had to be asking for trouble, didn't it? On the other paw…

Well, he trusted his trainer was more than capable at handling the situation if things went south. He trusted himself and…he sighed. Yes…he trusted Bullet as well, as painful it was to admit.

Riptide finally conceded with a reluctant dip of his snout.

"If we get mugged and stranded, I'll be sure to assign you with the blame."

"Roger that, I didn't expect any less."

She flashed him a reassuring grin and dammit, fine. He did feel somewhat comforted. Months ago, he wouldn't have felt an ounce of it. There was just something…calming about having someone who wasn't human or pokémon that had your back. He was surprised at having found this to be a now-normal yet unexpected part of his life.

If there was any danger in following strange girls in strange cities, then it was probably better to do it with someone like his trainer at his side.

Bullet was nearly scampering at his usual pace, keeping an almost limp-free bounce to his step as he strode along beside Lupin. The girl ahead had her hands clasped behind her back, her head tilted back to gaze up at the buildings surrounding them. She said nothing to them, although she did glance back at them quite often to ensure they were still following.

Lupin kept her distance, wary above all else, until she began hearing the music. It was soft and lilting and upbeat, but it had a somber melancholy to it as well. They climbed a flight of stairs, took to a slight hill, a few turns here and there, but the music was coming closer.

"Hey," she finally called. "Where're you leading us to?"

Somewhere still in Alto Mare, that much was obvious. But to where? An event? It certainly sounded like it.

The girl didn't respond. She threw another smile over her shoulder, motioning them to continue after her. Lupin ticked a brow upwards questioningly, but an answer was never given. Something didn't smell right. Or rather, something didn't smell _human_.

"D'you think she can even talk?" Bullet wondered aloud.

"I dunno. Maybe," Lupin replied. She kept a bit of distance between herself and the girl, and positioned herself a little bit further head of Bullet and Riptide. Just in case.

"Perhaps she knows KSL."

"KSL?"

"Kanto Sign Language. KSL for short, obviously," Riptide said. Who knew this place had so many twisting corridors of actual ground, in a place that was primarily famous for its water transport? He was almost missing his rides on Lupin's shoulder from when he was a Totodile.

Almost.

Lupin was looking at him now expectantly, waiting. He hissed out an exasperated sigh.

"I don't know how to speak it. I just know it exists."

"Wow. For once, the smarty-gator doesn't know anything!" Bullet laughed. The Croconaw scowled and snapped his jaws at the Growlithe. He yelped and scampered ahead of them, tail tucked closer to his body. Riptide gave another low warning hiss, allowing it to rumble and linger in his throat, but it quickly dissipated as they rounded another corner. They found themselves in a larger courtyard than the one they had left. A stage had been set up to sit between two towering stone pine trees. They created a rippling canopy of jade, emerald, and even highlights of seafoam. The wind rushed through the branches, making the leaves chitter and rattle against one another. It was all drowned out, though, by the music they had all been following.

A woman was alone on the stage, dressed in white robes trimmed with red along the hem of her sleeves and ends of the robes. Her eyes were closed in concentration, while her long auburn hair was swept back and pushed out of the way while she played…

Lupin squinted, before realizing it looked like a large conch shell. She was playing it like a flute, but at the same time it clearly wasn't one. The word came to her finally after a while. It was an ocarina. Even from near the back, she could see it was beautiful; its very integrity of the shell hadn't been sacrificed much to accommodate its new purpose as a musical instrument. And the young woman wielding it used it to great effect as she continued playing a soft, melancholic and pensive melody. There was a crowd piled up close to the stage, listening with rapt attention on the young woman. A few people and pokémon alike remained close to the back of the gaggle, but that didn't diminish their care to listen. It was a simple tune, but it was mesmerizing—the rising pitches and the slow descent that lent a wave of calm over those listening.

Even the wild pokémon had stopped atop rooftops, bannisters, balconies, and railings to watch, to listen, to be captured by the sound. The peaceful harmony held them all, gripping them tight and refusing to release them. Lupin, momentarily, forgot about the young woman who had led her here. Bullet and Riptide, despite not being able to see well above the crowd that stood between them and the stage, listened more attentively to the sounds that filled the air. It was aching, hauntingly beautiful noise—so modest yet elegant in that same simplicity. It felt almost like a calling of sorts.

The spell broke just as quickly as it had taken hold. The instrument came to a slow, fading halt and the woman pulled it from her mouth and paused purposefully to scan the crowd. She bowed, and the last tattered remains of the music's hold on everyone broke completely. A smattering of polite applause broke out. Someone whistled, a few shouted encouraging words. The woman on the stage smiled, bowed again, still clutching her ocarina.

A few others dressed similarly seemed to emerge from the shadows, crowding the side of the stage. The woman took this as a cue and quickly departed, while someone else with a microphone came to replace her presence. They thanked the woman, who hailed from Shamouti Island of the Orange Archipelago, and quickly rolled into announcing that the next show would be setting up in the next half hour. Most of the crowd lingered, their voices buzzing and rumbling in the air expectantly for the next upcoming act. A good chunk began leaving. They were trickling back through the crooked, narrow streets from whence they came.

Lupin cast a cursory glance around, searching the faces around her for the girl that had led her there, but she was gone. Her scent mark was lingering where she had last been standing, but…

She was gone, like she had simply disappeared.

Bullet trotted over for closer inspection, pushing his nose to the ground and sniffing loudly, carefully.

"She was just here. I just saw her a minute ago, _right_ before the music stopped!" He insisted over his shoulder. Riptide slunk over himself, peering left and right as he went, paws curling and uncurling as he pressed closer.

"I saw her as well, don't worry, furball. It's not like we're denying you saw anything at all."

Lupin glanced back down the way they had come. There wasn't any way their impromptu guide could have snuck past her without Lupin seeing. She practically would have had to brush up against the werewolf to even get into the alleyway. The shaded corridor was empty and still, devoid of any activity.

"Well, wherever she went, I'm sure it's to find more people to bring here," she said at last, glancing back at the stage. It wasn't very big and neither was it in an extravagantly auspicious location. It was tucked away and out of sight, almost like a private venue. A hidden gem, even.

She had to wonder just how many more of these kinds of events were going on, well out of sight of the mainstream crowds. She also wondered just how many people really knew these went on, simultaneously to the bigger venues that were probably better advertised.

Lupin checked her watch, glanced back down the way she had come, and then back at her watch. It was probably time to start heading back, but she could do for some ice cream first. She looked back over her shoulder, the inquiry on her lips, but they died before coming to fruition.

Riptide and Bullet were gone. Just like the young woman.

She swore she felt her heart stop, skip, stop again, skip again. It started up an irregular, painful tempo against her ribcage. She swept her eyes rapidly across the courtyard, raking through empty spaces to try and find them, but they were gone.

"Rip…Riptide! Bullet! Guys, this isn't funny—"

She stopped herself short when she heard a familiar bark—way above her head. She craned her neck back, heard Bullet returning her call with one of his own. She blinked, startled to see Bullet peering over the edge of a rooftop down at her.

"What the hell—how the hell did you get way up there?"

"I don't know!"

Riptide joined Bullet, tilting his head a little to the side to peer down at her.

"Something picked us up and brought us up here." He hesitated. "We didn't get a look at it. I think it was some kind of pokémon that can disguise itself, be careful!"

Lupin scowled. "Just—don't move, I'll be up there soon. And get away from the edge!"

She was already looking for some way to get up to the roof. Perhaps a ladder or fire escape of some sort. No one else seemed to notice her distress, or the fact that something was amiss. She was almost tempted to search for someone, but the thought came to a full, grinding halt. The hairs on the back of Lupin's neck prickled upright when she felt a wisp of warm breath against it.

She whirled, hand outstretching to knock away whatever it was behind her. She didn't even see anything behind her, the short glimpse she caught over her shoulder. But there was something there, she could hear it _breathing_.

Her attack faltered halfway through, when she heard a surprised chitter, moments before a pair of arms looped under hers and across her chest and lifted her clear off the ground. The sensation of weightlessness struck her briefly, she was thrust upwards so quickly, but everything caught up eventually. Her stomach flip-flopped onto itself, her heart bounced between her throat and chest as she was brought onto the same roof as her pokémon. Bullet was already bolting over toward her, Riptide not that far behind.

The arms carrying her released, but Lupin got the impression of downy soft feathers. She searched in vain, only seeing a flock of Pidgey in the distance.

"You said you didn't see anything?"

"No. But I also said some pokémon can disguise or hide themselves from plain sight completely. They can render themselves invisible."

"Like ghost-types?"

"Perhaps it is one," Riptide conceded, crimson eyes narrowed as he scanned the empty rooftop. This one had another stone ash, growing right out of a large plot of rich, loamy earth. A lone Murkrow sat on one of the lower branches, its head tucked under its wing as it napped.

"_Who said I was a ghost-type? I'm not a ghost-type!_"

Lupin jumped, a shudder jolting like ice down her spine at the voice. It felt like the words had been spoken aloud, yet at the same time, the voice itself was rattling in her head, a soft echo that unnerved her. Another scan of the rooftop left them with no one else around, except for the sleeping Murkrow. Riptide was watching the black-feathered bird suspiciously. Murkrow were tricky and deceitful dark-types. Some would even say bad luck, if they were so inclined to believe in that kind of nonsense.

He wasn't, but he didn't negate that their kind tended to be rather…devious.

Riptide nearly opened his jaws, ready to spray the darkness pokémon with a water gun if it so much as twitched. His attention was immediately diverted at the surprised cry of his trainer. He whirled, his tail whipping through the air heavily as he did and he too stopped, a strangled noise of surprise burbling up his throat.

He stared, alongside Bullet and Lupin, to find a red-and-white feathered avian-like creature fluttering before them. Golden eyes danced with a familiar merry mirth in their depths. The pokémon gave a soft, bubbly sort of laugh at them.

"_Surprise! Not a ghost-type!_"

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**_Note:_**** Alto Mare, quite obviously, is modeled after the city of Venice, in Italy. A sad, but eventual truth is that one day Venice will no longer be left on the map. And, just like Venice, I could imagine Alto Mare is slowly sinking.**


	32. Chapter Thirty-One: Where No One Goes

**Chapter Thirty-One:  
Where No One Goes**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own ****_Pokémon_**** in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note_: Apologies for the lack of updates. I make no excuses for it. But, I wish y'all a Happy New Years, however belated it is, and that 2016 is a better year than the last for y'all! :D  
**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_Proximity alert. We must be comin' up on something."  
"Oh, my god. What can it be? We're all doomed! Who's _flying_ this thing?! Oh, right. That would be me. Back to work."  
_**-Zoe and Wash, "****_Firefly_****"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The Murkrow watched as the silly woman and her two pokémon reeled at the sight of Latias before them. They should have been honoured to be before one of the Eon Twins, the dolts. Ah, well. Can't educate them all and except the gravity of things to sink in.

The bird was going to go back to napping, but stopped mid-tuck when Latias swooped over the woman's head and snatched up her hat. Now, normally, the Murkrow wouldn't have bothered, not unless there were shiny pins and buttons on the hat. But the bird gave pause long enough to register not the oddity of the hat, no—but the giant, pointed furry ears sticking out from atop the woman's skull. And they weren't one of those silly headbands that humans sold, pretending they were pokémon.

Even the Murkrow could see that they were real. Latias gave a delighted squeal, while the Growlithe and Croconaw formed a defensive—if ineffective—barrier, placing themselves between the hovering Eon Twin and their trainer. Latias was unperturbed, still staring in open awe at the woman's oddity.

"_And your tail—I know I saw a tail when you were on the balcony the other night—can I see it?_"

"You were spying on me?!"

"_I couldn't exactly let you see me, not yet! Please? I've never met a human like you! I mean, I don't meet humans like this very often, but still!_"

Latias wasn't _truly_ speaking, not like the woman or her pokémon could, no. She communicated telepathically, projecting her words out into the open with her thoughts, but most could barely make heads or tails of her speech, even with that added benefit. It was why she didn't bother making much contact with people with words that fell on deaf ears and minds. Body language. Pah. That's all humans seemed to understand when it came to pokémon. It was a wonder this woman could actually understand what was being said, and was talking back. Now _that_ was interesting. The Murkrow untucked beak from wing and decided that this was much more entertaining.

The woman had given up trying to snatch her hat back. Latias was just out of reach, her golden eyes teasing and filled with quiet humour. The Croconaw and Growlithe were unsure of how to respond. They were faced with a Legendary, after all. What hopes could they have against one? Although, where one Eon Twin was, the other was never too far away…

"You're…Latias, yes?"

Latias trilled happily and bobbed her head.

"_Yes!_"

"Can I please have my hat back?" The woman had her left arm outstretched with the palm up and open expectantly, although there was struggle in that simple action. She could barely keep her arm up at shoulder length, it seemed. Latias stared between the woman's hand, and the hat clutched in her talons. Slowly, she inched closer, her wings giving a minute shudder as she gently, so gently, returned the hat. The woman released a breath. "Thank you. Now…why were you spying on me the other night, if you don't mind my asking?"

"_Oh…that._" Latias looked away. She was embarrassed. The Murkrow wasn't surprised. Latias was easier to coax that emotion from. It simply rolled off of her in waves, like the tides on a beach. It was harder to get that kind of sheepish admittance from her brother. "_I saw you coming in on a boat. And I like to watch the people that come and go from Alto Mare. But then that woman in the street—she knocked your hat off and I saw your ears. She didn't realize they were real, I don't think. And no one else noticed either. I was…curious._"

Latias turned back, inching closer toward the woman. Carefully, she set herself on the ground, and arched her neck to peer down at the woman. She canted her head over, sniffing. "_You don't smell human. You're not pokémon, either, but…how is that possible? I've seen so many people and pokémon come and go—but nobody like you before!_"

The woman shook her head. "Story of my life right now. And I have no clue."

"She lost her memories. She's suffering from retrograde amnesia," the Croconaw inputted, piping up for the first time since Latias had appeared. He chose his words with care, obviously wary of the Eon Twin. His words, however, brought Latias down a notch as she studied the woman carefully now.

"_Oh…so you don't remember who you are. How did it happen, do you know?_"

"I don't remember. But so far, I'm able to make new memories. I just can't recall anything before…whatever accident I had happen to me." She paused, drawing in a measured breath. "But if you've never seen me around Alto Mare, it means I probably never lived here or passed by before. That…that at least confirms this is one more place that I've never been to previously. But the people I once knew, maybe they've come through here? My family if I have one, any friends or associates. I only have one definite name to go off of right now. Alastor. Does that sound familiar?"

There was a pensive silence that came from the Latias. Her trills turned soft, almost muted by the din of the city around them. She snaked her head left, then snaked it right, claws of her front paws clicking at one another as she tapped them together. "_No. That name isn't familiar to me. I don't interact with humans too much enough to get their names. And I don't like reading their thoughts. I try to keep out._"

The Murkrow continued to watch as the conversation of the where and when this woman had been traveling to, although it began to dull the bird's attention. The bird stopped mid-tuck a second time, when Latias perked suddenly and leapt into the air once more to twirl circles around the woman and her pokémon.

"_But since you haven't been here before, maybe I can show you around, like I did earlier with the ocarina girl! Maybe we can look together while you're here!_"

"That was you?"

The woman didn't even sound half-surprised, more like she was confirming a suspicion. The Growlithe looked far more impressed, though. The Croconaw…he was harder to read. Damned reptiles and their lack of facial expressions. It was easier to read the surprise rolling off his mind than his face.

"_Of course it was me. I can disguise myself as a human. I like to walk the streets every once in a while—but no one knows it's me! Well...except for my brother, maybe. I can never fool him. Not really._" Latias paused in her circling ministrations, fluttering on the spot to crane her head and neck to peer all around her. She shuddered, her feathers ruffling and smoothing over just as quickly. Latias trilled again, that dancing merriment alive in her golden eyes. "_But we can worry about that later! Do you still want to see Alto Mare?_"

The woman looked away and over the rooftops of the city. It was alive with the sound of voices and music and much, much more. Flocks of Pidgey curled in the air, flowing with one another as a singular organism. A few Yanma flittered about in the air here and there. Boats skittered across the surface of the sea farther out. Below in the courtyard, a new band of musicians were setting up on the stage, while onlookers waited patiently.

"I can see the city just fine from here. Kind of have you to thank for that enough already."

"_But you would never have found this little place if I hadn't shown you,_" Latias said in a sing-song voice. She clacked her beak-like jaw at the woman, pressing in a little closer. "_I can show you things that most people wouldn't ever think to find because they weren't looking! C'mon, you can trust me!_"

"Ya know, when someone says that, the opposite is usually the truer statement," the woman remarked back. The Croconaw snorted, as though in agreement.

"But, if she shows us more of the city, we can cover more ground. You said yourself, maybe the people you're looking for—maybe _you're_ not from here, but _they_ might be!" The Growlithe protested. The woman stopped to stare at the puppy pokémon in mild surprise. She sighed, a beat passing between them all. She looked back at the expectant Eon Twin, who was practically bubbling with unspent energy and excitement.

"Fine. Okay. But don't steal my hat and don't try taking my coat either. I can't afford people seeing…well, you already saw. I don't think it'd be a good idea, ya know?"

"_Wonderful! Oh, this is fantastic!_" Latias launched up higher with a blur of her wings, performing an ecstatic flip into the air. She righted herself and returned to the ground, offering her backside to the woman. Both the Growlithe and the Croconaw looked uneasily up between Latias and their trainer. The woman frowned, offering to stow them in their pokéballs for the time being and they readily accepted.

Afraid of heights, the Murkrow concluded. Not that interesting. There were plenty of pokémon who were afraid of heights. Some got over it. Others…not so much. It was funnier teasing the ones who didn't get over it. Once the woman's two companions were tucked away in their pokéballs, she slowly clambered onto Latias's backside, hands digging uncertainly into the feathery scruff of her long neck.

"_Hold on! I like to go fast!_"

"Fast? Whoa, hold on, let's try to take it slow at first—"

"_Too late! Here we go!_"

The Murkrow watched, as Latias took off into the air. The woman barely had time to cling more securely to the Eon Twin. They quickly receded into the distance and went diving down to explore some hidden nook or cranny of Alto Mare. The bird huffed and leapt into the air, wings spreading to catch the air.

Powerful wings receded away and all that was left were tiny pink-furred limbs. Claws shrank into paws and the feathers continued shrinking to give way to soft fur. Tail feathers molted and lengthened out to a whipcord wiry-thin tail. The beak melted away until a furred face was left, a twitching pink nose sniffing the air. Tufted ears twitched, and blue eyes blinked into the midafternoon sun. Mew stretched and studied the cityscape, noting a familiar blue streak rising out of the waters just outside the city limits and was rendered invisible just as suddenly as it had appeared. Evie was going to be in trouble consorting with a human with her brother Duke. Or was the woman not human? That seemed more likely. But she was looking for others like her. The name she said earlier came to mind.

Alastor.

Mew mulled over the name, purring softly. Perhaps directing this Alastor person in the right direction to this woman would be a fine choice to make. She was an anomaly, and a lost one at that. Mew knew how that felt like, once upon a time. There had been a desperation hidden in her voice, and it was too painful to bear watching, never mind _feeling_ it rolling off of her in waves. The little psychic took to the air, far away and out of sight of any human eyes, taking the form of a Pidgeot just before disappearing over the crest of a low-hanging cloud. Alto Mare disappeared behind Mew in a wink.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The Latias was fast, and that was sugarcoating it completely. She juked and dived at sharp angles and could make quick turns in the blink of the eye. It left Lupin's heart beating against her ribcage, out of adrenaline and excitement rather than fear. Her stomach had dropped back and was left behind ages ago and all that was left in its place was a fluttering, weightless feeling. Her eyes watered as they sped along back canals and hidden passageways that most gondolas wouldn't or haven't used in quite some time.

The Latias, who introduced herself as Evie, told Lupin this.

"_I know all the routes of all the gondoliers in the city—they never come through here, but the pokémon sure do!_"

She tilted with one wing skimming the waters and the other high in the sky, leaving Lupin with the two choices of cling for dear life or fall off into the waters. Lupin squeezed her knees a little harder, but she glanced over her shoulder, unable to stop herself. Below, the green waters glittered, but within their murky depths she could make out the shapes of fish and amphibious little bodies swimming along and trying to keep up. A Wooper leapt out into the air, crying joyously as it did to the Latias. A Remoraid did the same, its flowing fins rippling in the air before it dove back into the waters.

Then Evie was tilting back upright, her body shivering with delight. They continued their rampant flight through Alto Mare, taking the complex twists and turns in the back alleys and canals that riddled the city. Every once in a while, Evie would rise higher above buildings, pointing out certain structures and babbled excitedly about this piece of history or that wonderful new place that served the best ice cream in town.

When they dove back down into the waterways, she was skimming the waters closer this time. Lupin's boots practically kissed water on several occasions as the Eon Twin's belly dipped beneath, as though she was preparing to dive in.

"_Think you can hold your breath?_"

"What, why—oh no. No, no, no, no, do _not_ go in the water—!"

"_Too late, hang on!_"

Evie trilled and angled her wings in close, heading rapidly for a cobbled wall up ahead. Lupin felt her chest constrict and she gasped, trying to push past the vice-like grip holding her lungs. The Latias dove sharply, down into the water, and Lupin nearly sucked in a mouthful for all her troubles. Her grip tightened around Evie's neck as the Latias navigated through the underwater maze. There were open grates beneath water level, aquatic tunnels that led to who knows where. The water pulled at Lupin, trying to tug her off her mount as Evie continued to speed along at a rapid pace. It was almost a relief when Evie burst into fresh air and into the sunlight, coming to a complete stop. Lupin rolled off her back, collapsing gratefully onto the ground in a fit of coughs.

"Oh…oh, please don't do that again."

"_And here I thought you had nerves like a steel-type_," Evie teased with an amused purr. Her golden eyes narrowed with mirth and she shivered again. "_You did pretty well for your first flight._"

"Wasn't my first time flying—but flying like that? Technically, yes." Lupin coughed again, took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, her eyes closed. "I smell flowers. And trees. Where did you bring me?"

"_It's a hidden garden by the museum. Bianca and her grandfather—they don't like taking people here. It's just for us Latias and Latios. And the pokémon of Alto Mare, of course! But this place, we can have a hiding place away from prying eyes._"

"Latios?" Lupin bolted upright, her ears perked and ramrod straight atop her head. She had foregone her cap in the meantime, having stuffed it away in her coat midflight before she could lose it. The werewolf stared around, taking in stock of her surroundings now. There was a glorious view of so many trees, ivy, bushes, flowering plants, and there was a small pond in the center of it all, and built near the center of that, a small shrine stood alone and untouched. Something was in it, but from where Lupin sat, she couldn't make out what it was.

Her eyes flashed over it, however, as she scanned the surroundings, ears pricked to any noise asides the gentle breeze wafting in through the trees and underbrush. It rattled the leaves, making a quiet symphony in the wake of the sudden silence in the secluded little sanctuary. She could hear the undertones of other living creatures within the confines of the greenery, but they were hidden from sight, hushed and waiting with baited breath.

Latias hovered in a circle around Lupin, until she was blocking her view of the garden's main grounds. She dipped her head close.

"Latios—are they here?"

"_Duke,_" Evie offered. "_He's my brother. He is…a little more wary of people. But—but I'm sure he'd be fine with you, you're not like other people! You're…special._"

"Oh….oh, sweetie, don't call me special, I am far from special. I'm just…_me_." She motioned vaguely with a flutter of her hand, suddenly flustered and awkward under the golden gaze that pinned her down. She couldn't even find a word to call herself. She didn't feel special. The very word made her itch. Evie canted her head to the side, trilling softly.

"_But you're _not_ human. It's _humans_ he's wary of. He might be more accepting of you because of that._"

"I don't think I'd like to take that risk."

_I'd also like to not get blasted by an aerial psychic dragon while I'm at it. _

Evie's expression fell, her tail feathers quite nearly touching the ground.

"I…I'm sorry. I know you're excited, I just don't think prancing around uninvited like this. Especially when you make it sound like your brother's in charge of things."

Lupin cast another wary glance around the place, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

"_My brother?_" Evie trilled louder, and it sounded almost like a laugh. "_Duke isn't in charge! My father is._"

"Your…father."

_Well, this might possibly have gotten worse. Perhaps taking this little trip hadn't been the best of ideas. Maybe I should have listened to Riptide. _

And if he ever heard that from Lupin's mouth, he'd never let her live it down.

Evie didn't appear to be as riddled with alarm as Lupin felt. Her body was relaxed, although she still appeared to be a little disappointed at the werewolf's apprehension. She pressed even closer, and Lupin suddenly realized that Evie quite possibly didn't understand the meaning of 'personal space'.

Lupin didn't get to voice her concerns. Her ears twitched and registered something new and something fast honing in on their location all too quickly. Evie noticed a split second after Lupin did, and a flare of something came rising up in a bubble around her and Latias, right as something else crashed into it. The blur came to a halt, fluttering frantically in front of Evie, who had positioned herself in front of Lupin. The werewolf caught an impression of something larger than Evie, something blue and white, with a similar build to the Latias.

"_Duke! Duke, please, it's all right, I brought her here with me, please don't be mad—_"

"_Mad? Mad! You think if _I'm_ mad, what about our _father_, when he sees this human here!_"

"_Human? She isn't human, brother, look at her, look! Smell her if you want further proof, she's _not_ human!_"

Evie tilted only slightly to give Duke a glance at Lupin. Her hand dropped to the belt around her waist, fingertips touching Riptide's pokéball. Duke glowered with an amber stare that was not open and friendly like Evie's. It was a cold look and riddled with suspicion. But doubt begin to pepper his gaze, and she felt it raking over her, from the tips of her ears to the stiff, erect tail at her backside, raising up her coat.

Evie only moved fully out of the way when she deemed it safe. Duke pressed forward, his bulk replacing Evie's slimmer build as he fluttered closer. His avian face pushed closer and he snorted, sniffing purposefully over Lupin. She pulled her hand away from her pokéball belt, suddenly conscious that he could blast her if he deemed her a threat. Instinct told her to release Riptide and Bullet, but she repressed the urge, so long as the Latios was before her.

Her ears splayed back when hot breath poured over them. He circled her, taking a faint whiff of her tail and she tucked it close against her legs in surprise, her coat dropped on a dime at the motion. When Duke came back around, the intensity of his gaze hadn't lessened, but it was certainly less harsh in its judgment of her.

"_Not a trick…well, this is certainly new. I've never met something like you._"

"Some_one_, I'd prefer, thank you."

The rigidity of her frame hadn't lessened, that much was certain. Lupin kept her eyes on the Latios as he flexed his wings a little. His feathers ruffled, making Duke appear larger than he already was. He craned his head away from her suddenly, pinning Evie with an equally unnerving stare.

"_You still shouldn't have brought her here, little sister. You know how father feels with trespassers, regardless of whether or not this one is human or…something else. He _tolerates_ Bianca and Lorenzo. He barely trusts them as it is after the incident with Jet and Fiona. Jet gave up his life under their watch, and Fiona…you know what she's been like. She hasn't been the same._"

Evie stiffened under Duke's scrutinizing gaze. Lupin tried to inch away and put some space between herself and the Latios, but his voice rang in the very air and made her freeze.

"_Stop right there, I'm not done with you._"

_Riptide's gonna kill me. Or he'll try to, anyway. _

The amber gaze settled back over her, an unpleasant chill settled at the base of her spine and making its slow ascent upwards to the back of her skull.

"_Why are you here in this city?_"

Nothing like the unblinking stare of an avian dragon-creature to fray the nerves, was there? Lupin felt the words were there and she groped for them mentally, trying to place them letter by letter onto her tongue, but it wouldn't move. She found the words stuck unpleasantly in the back of her throat. She never felt this before, had never felt this…_unnerved_. Not when she had faced down a murderous Onix or nest full of venomous Spinarak and their queen Ariados, nor when she had to come face-to-face with ravenous Aerodactyl or the valley filled with Charizard. None of that had really fazed her, not truly, but to be stared down at like she was a misbehaving child by a pokémon that wasn't even a third of most of the others' sizes?

She eventually dropped her gaze and snapped her mouth shut, ears splaying back against her head.

"I…I'm looking for someone," she finally settled on. She had to fight to urge to flinch when another hot gust of breath poured across her head.

"_She is! Duke, she is. She's…she has amnesia._"

The ominous presence hovering over her withdrew just a smidgeon and she sensed rather than saw Duke turn to face Evie again.

"Amnesia_? Evie, have you been spying on human television again? Really, little sister, what kind of story is _that_—_"

"You're both psychic-types, aren't you?" Lupin blurted without realizing, snapping her head up. Duke side-eyed her for a moment, considering.

"_Dual-types. Psychic and dragon-types._" His eyes narrowed. "_Why?_"

"I had a Gardevoir try to rattle things around a few months ago—a medically-licensed and practicing psychic partner to a physician from Cherrygrove. She told me there was…a kind of block in my head that's preventing me from recalling my memories from before I was found in New Bark Town. It's the amnesia, she told me. Professor Elm, he was the one who found me and referred me to the physician and her Gardevoir, although they couldn't do anything for me."

"_To the point. And quickly. What little patience I had momentarily found is waning quickly._"

"Look—look into my head, if you can. I'm not lying. And neither is Evie." Lupin flicked a scant look at the Latias, fluttering behind her brother, looking worried and grateful and hopeful all rolled into one. Lupin settled her gaze back on Duke, who finally rested his hindquarters on the ground. Even when he was lowered, he still towered easily above Lupin. Duke canted his head to the side, peering at her through one eye and then the other, long neck snaking slowly back and forth.

"_Fine. If I find an ounce of truth to your words, I won't blast you back to wherever it was you truly came from. I make no promises for our father, however._" He snorted. "_Brace yourself._"

His last was the only warning she got before she felt something white hot suddenly lurch into her head. Her skull was splitting from the invasive entity trying to worm its way into her mind. Belatedly, she realized it was Duke's consciousness raking along her own. He'd dragged her down and she wasn't sure if she was awake or if she had gone completely internal. Everything hurt too much to try and discern the one from the other.

'_Stop resisting me. If you relax, it'll go easier for you.'_

The voice was authoritative and firm, but brooked no room for argument. The presence pushed again, a little gentler this time, but no less demanding. It kept prodding and pushing around, occasionally forcing its way into certain areas. It took her a long while to realize the Latios was rummaging through her memories. A surge of panic gave her a burst of energy, but only just enough for her to throw out her concern in the general direction of Duke's searching presence.

_Hey…hey, get out of those—you don't need to see those—_

'_If I don't, how will I know you're telling me the truth?' _He sounded matter-of-fact when he answered. There was no trace of smugness of any kind. She had almost expected it, but he was rather cordial in his inquiry. She didn't have much of an answer for Duke. He kept pushing past the memories. Some he lingered on, like the incident with the Spinarak and the Ariados, and her fleeing toward the nearest town to save Riptide's life. Others, he barely skimmed over, perhaps deeming them trivial and unimportant. Halfway through, she felt another manifestation, gentler and calmer than the devastating presence that was Duke's.

'_Shhhh. Easy, easy. You're wasting too much energy trying to push him out of places. I know it hurts, but he's almost done.'_

_Evie…?_

Evie didn't answer. She only remained there, a feeling of worry fluttering about at the back of Lupin's conciousness, but also faint hope and reassurance. She began keeping Lupin shielded for the most part from the rougher portions of intrusion. It was easier to bear with the Latias's help. After a time, Evie spoke up.

'_He's reached that block you were talking about. It's…so big, so…bare. It's just this…_emptiness_ staring back, like there's nothing else there. You really don't know who you are, do you?'_

There was a hint of pity in Evie's tone. Lupin could practically hear the 'I'm sorry' in her voice.

She could feel both the Eon Twins' presence hunkered down in her mind; Evie's calm and soothing company mostly shielded her from her brother's rougher, more stringent one. It gave her some relief to recover from, if only briefly.

Duke prodded further, and at first, Lupin didn't quite feel it. Even when Evie had stepped in, she had felt the pressure of his digging, like barbs latching onto her and refusing to let go no matter what. In fact, now it felt like it was almost as though he was barely poking her skin, it was so subtle she barely felt it.

It all went to hell when agony erupted all over her body and a leering, red furred and mismatched gaze came into view until it was the only thing she could see. One yellow eye and the other a dead blind eye stared back at her, and both burned with hateful contempt as they regarded her. They were set into a massive, feral face with a leering muzzle peeled back into a hideous snarling mockery of a smile. The left half of the face had burn scars covering it, slick and pale, sickly-looking flesh that just looked out of place against the canine face. The burnt scar tissue surrounded the blind, milky eye, giving the imposing figure an ominous, dreadful look. But the healthy eye, it was looking straight at her, burning with sallow hatred so profuse, it made her stomach sour and bile began to build in the back of her throat.

"_Hello, Curltail._"

The words worked past the black lips and the gleaming pale fangs that poked out of the furry muzzle with practiced ease. They were so simple, so casual, and yet they were filled with such derision for her. Two simple words had sent a bolt of icy fear right into her heart and they made her want to turn tail and run. It filled her with a horrid feeling of dread, worse than she's ever remembered feeling.

The face was only there and then it suddenly gone in a flash, but it was enough to be burned into her, as though she had stared at that hate-filled face for hours on end, not seconds. And everything was in absolute agony, from her back and belly to her shoulders and wrists, her thigh and ankle, even her skull felt as though it was being ripped apart, torn asunder by dense, cleaving talons—

_He tore me up, I don't know how I know, but he had something to do with it, he tore me apart, that's what it is, it's my body remembering how badly he hurt me—_

"_WAKE UP!_"

Lupin gasped, heaving breaths like she'd been underwater for too long and at the same time, felt as though someone had dumped glacial water over her head. The shock gave her stilted, poor pieced-together images as she tried to work through it all, including the pain that riddled her body now. It took her a long minute to realize she was on her back, soaked in sweat and it was nearly night time. A grey dusk had fallen over the garden sanctuary, blanketing everything in deep shadows. She couldn't quite see the sky past the arching arms of the trees above. What she could see of the sky, she saw it had turned a deep, bruised royal purple, and even that was fading quickly to dark blues and blacks speckled with pinpricks of winking silver and white.

Lupin focused on the sky, was vaguely aware of the sounds of the soft breeze still playing softly between leaves and branches, and skirling across the little pond's watery surface. Evie's face came hovering into view, her avian face saturated with perpetual worry. A clawed appendage hesitantly rested on her arm, a small token of comfort.

"_You wouldn't stop screaming. I thought people were going to find us. They almost did. We had to move you._"

"Wh-where…?"

"_We're still in the garden. Duke left to derail their search, but…_" Evie faltered, looking away. "_You kept crying for help. You were in so much pain. Whatever he unearthed from that block in your mind, it was…terrible. So much fear and pain, I almost felt like it was _me_ who was being hurt. What was that horrible thing? It's no pokémon I've ever encountered before._"

Evie fixed Lupin with a remorseful look. A pitying look. Lupin hated being stared at like that.

She rolled laboriously onto her side to block the Latias from view, groaning heavily and breathing hard. Her heart was hammering away against her ribcage like a fluttering little bird desperate to break free. Her head was throbbing, hurting just as badly as everything else, but her body was finally beginning to fade in the pain department. Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, gaining some control of her breathing now into a steadier, calmer rhythm. She almost flinched away when she felt a paw on her shoulder.

Lupin turned to find Evie fidgeting, backing away and not quite meeting Lupin's eyes at first. A small veil of guilt fell over her and Lupin exhaled slow and steady.

"I don't know what any of that was." The fear was familiar though. Lupin pulled her legs up closer to her chest, arms curling around them. "I think I might have been having nightmares about whatever that thing was."

Evie hovered closer over the werewolf's shoulder, resting her head against it. Lupin reached up and ran a hand over Evie's head out of reflex. The Latias trilled softly. They stayed as such for a few quiet minutes, listening to the low hum of the city, just barely peeking into the garden's serene quietness. Evie perked after a while, twitching from Lupin's hand.

"_Duke's back_," she said seconds before the Latios came diving into view. He drifted past a copse of trees, swerving his streamlined body over toward them.

"_We're safe for now. They didn't find this place,_" he said in way of greeting, addressing his sister first. He turned his amber gaze on Lupin, but said nothing for a long time. Lupin resisted the urge to fidget under the unnerving gaze, once more feeling as though she was being scrutinized with great prejudice.

"_I believe it's time you left this place._" He said at last, his tone soft and solemn.

Lupin took in a breath, unsure if she should be relieved or not. She pushed herself up to her feet, finding herself surprisingly steady and was grateful for it. The ache in her very bones had dulled to almost nothing now.

"I think that'd probably be a good idea. I'll just head back to my hotel and—"

"_I meant Alto Mare._" Duke interrupted quickly, still pinning her with that unnerving stare.

"_Duke!_"

"_Evie. Whatever she is involved in, I don't want any part in it. I don't want you having a part in it. And I don't want our city in any more danger than it already is._"

Lupin opened her mouth, words on the tip of her tongue and ready to be launched at the Latios, but then she thought better of it. She closed her mouth and only nodded.

"I don't want to put you two in any danger either. Or this place. I don't even know what that thing was." She glanced over at Evie, taking in her anxious look and tense body language. The Latias had grown quiet. "I'm sorry. I'll leave in the morning."

This seemed to appease Duke. He gave her a nod and turned, giving the werewolf way to take her leave. "_I normally dislike the use of the word, but you're…different. I wish that we had met under better circumstances. I mean that._"

He sounded incredibly sincere when he said that. It took Lupin by mild surprise and she stared at him a few moments longer than she intended. He snorted at her.

"_Go. If I find you here by evenfall tomorrow, you won't like the consequences._" His amber eyes narrowed to mere slits. "_I'll be watching to make sure you don't stay. Understand?_"

"Got it. I got it. Ease up," Lupin replied, motioning with her hands for him to calm down. Evie gave a depressing trill off to the side. Duke lifted his gaze away from Lupin and back towards his sister. For a long time, he stared at her, and Lupin could practically see the gears working in his head.

"_Evie. Make sure she makes it to the hotel she is staying at._"

The Latias perked, the tufts of feathers adorning her head pricking upwards in delight. Her golden eyes shined happily at the suggestion and she rushed forward, bumping her neck and head against Duke's.

"_Thank you, thank you! Thank you, Duke!_" She trilled. Duke rumbled back, nudging her once.

"_Don't take too long,_" he warned as she pulled away to circle around Lupin. Evie pressed against Lupin's backside. A small part of Lupin was grateful for the support. She was exhausted and while she wanted to sleep, she was also afraid of what awaited her when she closed her eyes.

Duke watched carefully as Lupin turned and clambered onto Evie's back, her movements slow and lethargic. Evie thrummed with energy beneath the werewolf. She tilted her head back, peering at Lupin with renewed vibrancy.

"_Are you ready?_"

"Go slow, please. I'm feeling woozy, Evie."

"_Of course._" The Latias nodded, rising a little higher into the sky with a pump of her wings. They pushed past the trees, rising above the topmost branches quickly. Duke watched from below, rising slowly to follow them until he perched upon the tops of the trees as Evie rose higher into the sky until she launched away and out of sight of her brother. Duke crooned softly as he watched his sister take off, resisting the urge to follow them.

Instead, he turned away and glided across the garden toward the pond, coming to rest by the water's edge. Evie could handle the little woman well enough. She wasn't a threat. Not when intentionally threatened, that is. But whatever it was she has forgotten, what little he managed to unearth before everything within her shoved him out—she was terrified of it, right to her core.

He simply hoped whatever that red-furred beast was, it wasn't tracking her down.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	33. Chapter Thirty-Two: Run

**Chapter Thirty-Two:  
Run**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own ****_Pokémon_**** in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**_Note_: I am ****_Fallout_**** trash, y'all. That's where I've been the last few weeks. I apologize…for mostly nothing. That, and work has been exhausting and kicking my ass, as well as sucking up the mental capacity and inspiration to actually write things. Anyway, without further ado, my lovelies, please enjoy this next installment. And remember, a review isn't always necessary, but it's always appreciated and tends to make me warm and fuzzy and of course, also makes me feel like my time is being well spent if I hear feedback from you, the readers. :)**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"_You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far."_  
**-James Baskett**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"You let them _what_?"

Lupin, to her credit, didn't flinch at the sharp tone or the incredulous glare that was trying to burn holes into the side of her head. She calmly sipped from her cup of coffee, ignoring the credulous glare and the open-mouth gaping from Riptide and Bullet. They stared between her and the short-haired brunette young woman sitting across from her, looking nervously between Lupin herself and her pokémon.

"Well, it was either do that or risk getting my ass blasted to kingdom come."

There was a quiet little café across the canal from the hotel Lupin was staying at, tucked away just from sight of the main walkways. Most tourists passed right by it without noticing, but locals were more often enough seen inside. It was open twenty-four hours and manned by a skeleton crew late at night under normal circumstances, but it was bustling with a few more personnel due to the festival.

Or so Evie had told her. There were several other trainers chatting away at their own tables, rendered distant in their own personal bubbles. Lupin could hear them talking about the recent League challengers and how badly they'd done. Only one managed to make it halfway before being blow away by Bruno, the fighting-type master of the League. The werewolf turned back to the disguised Latias, who smiled, anxious and bubbling with jittery energy just beneath the surface, if her eyes flicking to and fro everywhere was any indication. Riptide hissed long and low, drawing Lupin's attention briefly. His crimson eyes were narrowed with reptilian suspicion.

"Calm down. I'm all right, aren't I?"

"_Are_ you?" He rebuked poignantly, clacking his jaws noisily. Bullet whined low in his throat, inching closer toward Lupin.

"She isn't gonna attack, is she? I mean…she's a _Legendary_! With a capitol L! Even _I_ know better than to tangle with those!"

"_I won't bite_," Evie said in a promising, strong voice. She smiled again, trying for the 'look I'm nice, please don't hate me!' look, and while it eased Bullet, Riptide remained unmoved by the display. "_Or…or blast anyone. I won't. I'm just here for a little and then I'll be gone. I promise._"

Riptide continued to say and do nothing, except glare. He turned that gaze onto his trainer after a time. And, even though he couldn't scrunch up his bony snout, or wrinkle his brows, his point came across in the light of his ensuing silence. Crocodilians just looked intimidating, and that was the whole _point_. They weren't meant to pander themselves off as cute and adorable. Except for maybe when they began as Totodile…that would certainly explain the unusual rate of Totodile adoptions just as much as the trading, selling, or abandoning of Croconaw as soon as they evolved.

But nonetheless, his trainer was slowly starting to learn how to read his face, his silence—something that inexperienced trainers failed to do. Good. It meant she was doing _something_ right. Lupin sighed, setting her coffee down, although she didn't release her grasp upon the cup. Instead, she tapped it with her index finger several times before speaking.

"I know that look and I don't like that look. Don't look at me like that, Rip. Seriously. You're either going to give me or give yourself a hernia."

"What's a hernia?" Bullet mumbled distractedly. Riptide hissed, ignoring the Growlithe.

"Just…trust me. We have to leave in the morning. Evie only wanted to say goodbye."

"And why do we have to leave days earlier than planned? We still have places to inspect."

His gaze was acidic in its silent accusation and he wasn't subtle in letting it slip over toward Evie. The disguised Latias shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"_My brother thinks your trainer is dangerous._" Evie said this with great hesitance and caution, carefully enunciating each word with care. There was a brief stretch of silence that lasted longer than intended before Riptide began croaking softly. It evolved into his usual rattle-laugh and then after that, it became an explosive noise, like he was choking on a bone.

"_Her_? She's an idiot!"

"I'm right here, you know."

"She _does_ dangerous things. She gets herself _into_ dangerous situations. But her _being_ an actual and viable threat or even dangerous? Maybe, but it's a stretch. And it's also entirely preposterous enough to dismiss. I needed that laugh, I think."

"Still right here."

Evie, to her credit, didn't take the baiting of his barbed words. She focused instead on the small cup of coffee Lupin had gotten her; it was sweetened with chocolate syrup, something Evie enjoyed immensely but was rarely able to get without swiping it from someone.

"_I don't believe she's a threat, either, but Duke saw something in her mind, when he was trying to dig things up. He was afraid of whatever that red-furred beast was. It looked like it was hunting you. You might not turn out to be dangerous, but whatever that thing was, it was threatening enough for him to believe that sending you away is what's best for this city and its people. He doesn't want to see them hurt, in case that thing might find you._"

Lupin saw Bullet and Riptide turn their gazes on her and she resisted the urge to squirm the longer they stared. Instead, she managed to tuck away her discomfort and ignore the sour taste building up in the back of her throat as she focused on her coffee. She hoped her silence conveyed a good enough message to the two of them: now wasn't the time. Thankfully, Bullet caught up quicker and nudged Riptide. The Croconaw hissed softly, but stopped abruptly enough when the puppy pokémon shook his head, further accenting Lupin's quiet point. The werewolf returned her attention back on the disguised Latias.

"I really did have things to finish in Alto Mare, but I'd like to safely assume I've never visited or lived here. I'm just not feeling any kind of nostalgia or spark from being here."

The moment the words left her mouth, they left a strange taste in her mouth and her tongue felt like cotton. While she felt no connection to Alto Mare, she had felt a connection elsewhere beforehand, and the nostalgia of it hit her like a ton of bricks. When she flew on the backside of a pokémon, there was a sensation of belonging and of longing, a need to keep going, to keep flying. She had wanted nothing more than to continue the flight, but each time it was always cut short and it was always before she could fully immerse herself to enjoy it.

After a time, they finished their drinks and it felt all too soon that they were leaving. Lupin could sense Riptide and Bullet's relief, however quiet it was. But Evie was filled with disappointment, it was practically its own frequency that only Lupin could sense. The younger Eon Twin tried to hide it of course, but it was difficult not to see her want to continue in her eyes.

It was quieter on the block of the café they had exited. Most of the festivities were further away, perhaps a block or two down. It was partly why Evie had chosen the venue—it was just removed enough from the mainstays of the festival's activities to give them a semblance of peace. Evie hesitated but she turned to say her goodbyes all the same, just as she promised, reaching for Lupin's hands and gripping them gently.

The illusion Evie was projecting felt so real, Lupin was almost sure she was being held by human hands and not the avian claws that were so cleverly disguised. The human face that stared back at her was just as well done—but a glimmer of Evie's golden eyes flickered beneath the brown-eyed façade, reminding the werewolf of what was really behind the guise.

"_When you leave in the morning, be sure to take the _Mudkipper_ on the north end of the island, in the Mantine Dockyard—her captain is usually some of the first to ferry people from Alto Mare to the mainland around dawn. But before you go, I have something for you. Okay? So don't go without saying goodbye._"

Even when the illusion of the woman's lips moved, Lupin could hear Evie's voice being projected into her very head and not into the air. No one else would have heard Evie, not unless she wanted them to. The Latias gave a sad smile, squeezed Lupin's fingers gently and then she was gone. She disappeared, quite literally from sight, as if she melted away like she'd never been there in the first place. The very air rippled where the Latias had been, almost like a heat shimmer, and then everything returned to normal. The werewolf didn't doubt that the Latias was still lingering somewhere, but invisibly. It was a strange feeling, being watched by an unseen entity. It gave her a strange chill down her spine at the continued thought.

Bullet bristled, blue eyes darting about warily. Riptide hissed low and deep in his throat, caught off guard and not liking it, his shoulders hiking up higher. The red scutes along his backside spiked up in a prickly, unwelcoming fashion.

"Should we trust what she said?" Bullet ventured cautiously after a few belated, tense moments. The world continued on around them, with nary a care to their troubles. It felt too surreal.

"Her brother wants us off the island and she's not going to defy him. I don't doubt he's going to make sure we leave or else, either. I'd rather not test his patience."

Lupin sighed and it was a heavy, burdensome noise that distilled her disappointment at this whole trip. They had barely gotten the chance to enjoy themselves fully, but it seemed to be their luck so far. Every time something decent seemed to be going for them, something else came up that ruined everything prematurely—or set them back quite a bit.

She felt a paw on her leg and looked down to see Riptide and Bullet watching her expectantly, worry shining behind their eyes. She sighed again, but it exuded more patience this time around as she squatted to put a hand on their heads. "Hey. I promise I'm okay. I didn't expect to keep you both in your pokéballs as long as I had and I'm sorry I worried you. Things degraded for a bit, but I handled them. Okay?"

Bullet seemed more ready to accept her testimony, but Riptide continued watching her with that shrewd, scrutinizing red gaze of his. She gave them both scratches, Bullet behind his ears and Riptide just behind his eyes.

"C'mon…let's head back to the hotel. We should at least enjoy our last night here."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

She couldn't sleep that night. Her team wouldn't sleep for the longest time either, but it came for them, slowly and eventually. When she was left alone with her thoughts, she turned to her Book. In it, she scoured for shreds of information that alluded to her personal life, but there was very little go to off of. She thought there was perhaps an angle to some passages, like a hidden message written between the lines, or a code of some sort, but nothing ever seemed cryptic. Everything was straight forward, to the point, succinct in its details of cases, monsters, but nothing personal-related. She knew it too, but she tried all the same. She knew the Book by heart, had it practically memorized, but she looked regardless, hoping to find something she had missed the last times she's read it.

When she found nothing useful, she turned to studying her bangle. The intricate and loving details always captivated her. They were on an infinite loop, circumnavigating the entire span endlessly, seamlessly. After a time, she had to peel herself away from the thoughts of where she might have gotten it or quite possibly who had given it to her—her mother or another family member? A friend? A lover, even?—and hopped in the shower to freshen herself up. It had been a long day and she wanted to get one in before hitting the road, as it were.

By the time she finished up, the other two were waking up. It was almost five in the morning, she noted as she checked her pokégear's clock.

"You stayed up again, didn't you?" Bullet grumbled unhappily, pouting at his trainer. Lupin shrugged, rubbing the towel over her hair and ears.

"Couldn't sleep. Didn't want to disturb you from yours," was all she said in regards to the matter. Bullet exchanged a look with Riptide. She didn't like that, knowing that if they were agreeing to something, it was against her. Or about her. Or both. A little bit of column A, a little bit of column B.

She waited, almost impatiently, for them to say something, anything. Instead they continued saying nothing. Riptide slithered off the bed, long tail thumping noisily behind him as he went.

"If we're going to be leaving, we might as well do it now."

"You're actually wanting to leave?" She asked cautiously. "That's a sudden change of heart to last night's tune."

"The fact that we've attracted the attention of actual Legendaries has put me on edge." She heard the underlining restraint in his tone and raised a brow at him.

"I thought you believed Legendaries were nothing but superstitious figures of hoo-ha lore that didn't really exist."

"That was before we were confronted with a Latias, and if your accounts are correct, there is a Latios roaming about this city as well. And if they're both to be believed, there are even more of them lurking around. I'd rather not start a fight with any of them if I can help it. There's a difference between wanting to better myself as a fighter and committing a suicidal campaign against beings that are many times stronger than myself. Any other time, I would have loved to go head-to-head with them to test myself, but I'm not that strong. Not yet."

"Despite presenting yourself as an egghead, you are, without a doubt, a jock by heart," Lupin muttered, combing through her wet hair with her fingers. Riptide cast her a sour look.

"Ha-ha, she called you an egghead. 'Cuz you come out of an egg," Bullet snickered from the other side of the room. He trotted over toward the double doors that led to the balcony. The curtains were drawn back to showcase the beauty of Alto Mare in all its early morning glory. There were still plenty of lights on, but most had turned off as the festivities died down several hours ago. The sky itself was still plenty dark even as the eastern horizon was turning grey with the oncoming dawn, although the stars could still be seen.

"We _all_ come out of eggs, you dunderhead." Riptide hissed back. Bullet ignored him. Lupin cast the irate Croconaw a reproachful look, who promptly ignored her stare. Instead, he said, "Speaking of eggs…how is the Togepi? Any signs of movement?"

Lupin paused as she pulled her towel off her shoulders and folded it, tossing it into the bathroom.

"No. It's been relatively still. Warm and alive, I guess, but nothing is moving inside to suggest hatching time." She crossed the room, collecting various objects of hers that had scattered from her bag to around the room. "Okay, with that aside…start getting ready to go. We're gonna miss a proper breakfast so we can catch our ride."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The sky was already alight with feeble sunlight that was growing stronger as the minutes ticked by. By the time they made it to the Mantine Dockyard, there was more blue than there was pink and gold in the sky, and all the stars were hidden from view. The Mantine Dockyard wasn't as busy as the one she had arrived in but that was just fine. The less crowded, the better. In fact, if Lupin hadn't known better, that was probably exactly why Evie suggested this place. It was smaller with less foot traffic and despite being the closer end toward the mainland, it was obviously less used. The more commercialized uses these ships were involved in was fishing, it looked like.

The boats were of varying yet modest sizes and finding the _Mudkipper_ was an easier task than Lupin had expected. Her captain was a middle-aged yet robust man by the name of Lee and he readily accepted Lupin on as a passenger. When he asked how she had heard of his ferrying services, she vaguely alluded to a friend suggesting him. He didn't press and she didn't elaborate. It was a perfect match.

"I'll be casting off in about an hour, so try not to wander too far. And if you aren't here by the time I'm ready to leave, I won't wait. There aren't any refunds either," he warned her. Lupin acknowledged his advice with a nod. There were a few shops near the dockyard that were open already, sleepy tellers at their counters selling mostly foodstuffs for trainers and pokémon alike. Lupin procured a quick meal for all of them, and a coffee for herself. She kept close to the dockyard, occasionally scanning the canals, the walkways, and the docks for a sign of Latias—disguised most likely—but she didn't see her anywhere.

The minutes crawled. Ten, then twenty, dragging into thirty and still no sign of the Eon Twin. Bullet frolicked on the docks, chasing after Wingulls until he was scared off by a large Pelipper threatening him with a water gun attack. He hightailed it back to hide behind Lupin. Riptide stayed close to his trainer, eying every passerby with growing suspicion and his hackles rose up defensively for every passerby. He was simply waiting for yet another disaster to strike, and he didn't want to be out of sight of Lupin when it happened. She kept checking her pokégear's clock every few minutes, growing antsier the closer it ticked to the _Mudkipper_'s departure. When it grew too close for comfort, Lupin sighed and motioned to her two teammates.

"I dunno if she's gonna show. We should start heading—"

The hairs on the back of her neck rose suddenly and she whirled, boots scuffing along the worn wooden planks. Instinct had told her to look and there she was. Evie stood at the edge of the dockyard, like a bolt out of the blue, disguised with the same human face she had worn every time Lupin's seen her. In her arms, she carried a small parcel, carefully wrapped and tied off with a bow. The masked Latias smiled when she saw Lupin had noticed her and she trotted forward, carefully avoiding a Machoke as it carried a huge wooden crate atop its shoulder with fluid ease.

She just about flung the parcel she carried into Lupin's chest before pulling her into a crushing hug. And it really was crushing—there was a brief lapse of the humanoid figure embracing her, and instead Lupin felt the Latias's true form, clawed digits and feathery arms, and the faint whiff of feather dust that permeated Evie. It reminded her of Syd.

"_Oh, I'm so glad I caught you before you left. Duke didn't want me to come, once he found out where I was going. I convinced him to let me, though!_" Evie pulled away, a sheepish expression colouring her face. "_Under some conditions, of course._"

The Latias glanced over her shoulder, toward the end of the dockyard. Two identical looking women stood on the fringes of the docks. One was taller and older-looking, and the other looked exactly like Evie did at the moment. It was almost like looking at twins. Or triplets, if Lupin included Evie as well. The older woman possessed a completely different outfit than the younger-looking counterparts, a pair of tan slacks and a white-button up blouse. She wore no hat, but she had a satchel hanging off one shoulder, and a belt with at least three pokéballs attached to it. Her lips pressed into a thin and neutral line, although her eyes were sharp and focused on Lupin.

"_That's Bianca,_" Evie said quietly, giving the older woman a little wave. Bianca nodded to Evie. The younger-looking Bianca watched with as equal attention as the older counterpart did. "_And that's Fiona. Bianca and her grandfather, Lorenzo—they were looking out for Fiona and her brother Jet. But Jet, he…passed away years ago, protecting the city. We arrived the day after. If we'd been here sooner, maybe he'd still be alive. Fiona's still recovering from his loss._"

Lupin shifted her gaze between Evie and the two in the background. Bianca looked tired. Fiona, in her illusory visage mimicking Bianca's appearance, was carefully neutral but attentive nonetheless.

"I'm sorry for her loss. And for Alto Mare's. Her brother saved a beautiful city," Lupin offered, although she felt her words meant little and fell short in terms of condolences. Evie, however, didn't seem to linger on them. Instead she patted the parcel, halfway in Lupin's arms, partially still in Evie's.

"_I thought you could use these. They're a few years old, but they're brand new in terms of usage! I sometimes pick up things that are littered throughout the city; baubles and packages people lose or forget and don't come back for. It just feels wrong to just leave them lost and forgotten. I hope they fit!_" Evie sounded like she wanted to distract herself from the event; her voice was coloured with faint melancholy. Clearly, even though Fiona had been closer to the late Jet, it affected Evie just as well. Perhaps they were a family unit?

Lupin opened her mouth, a question on her lips—several, actually—but stopped short of herself. Her ears twitched under her hat when she heard the captain from the _Mudkipper_ bellowing out that he was casting off in five minutes from somewhere behind her. Clearly, he could see her, just as she knew she could see the ship if she were to turn right around and stare down the docks.

"My ship," she said in way of apology. Lupin clutched the package closer to her chest, ignoring Riptide's impatient "Hurry up," at her side. Evie offered an understanding smile, hesitated, then leaned forward. Lupin believed she was coming in for another hug and was prepared to give one back this time around.

What she wasn't expecting was a full kiss on the lips. And she wasn't even sure if she was feeling beak or lips or both, but either way it was still a shock. She stood stock still, frozen to the spot, her tail bristling under her coat. She faintly heard Bullet gasp and there was nothing from Riptide, but she could feel his gaze locked on her regardless.

Evie pulled away just as quickly as she swooped in, retreating from the docks at a backwards walk. She waved, looking both cheerful and rosy-cheeked. Fiona and Bianca stared between Evie and Lupin, mixtures of wide-eyed surprise and amusement. Evie twirled to face the other two, trotting toward them. Once she regrouped, the three offered a last wave or nod goodbye, then left. Lupin stared after where Evie had been standing moments ago, not moving and barely blinking.

When she finally stirred, it was only because Riptide nipped at her fingers. Even then, she barely flinched.

"What the hell just happened?" She said quietly, a faint squeak in her voice present.

Bullet snorted and it sounded halfway like a laugh. When he spoke, it was in a cautious yet amused disbelief.

"I think…" he paused with a cough that sounded almost polite. "I think a Legendary has a crush on you."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The journey back to Azalea took longer than planned. Lupin and her team weren't the only trainers leaving Alto Mare early on and many had ended their seaward journey due to several trainers offloading in Mako village. The overflow of giddy energy building up over the excitement of reaching the mainland reached an all-time high when one trainer challenged another. A series of domino effects set it off after that, and before she knew it, Lupin had won against three consecutive trainers in a row before managing to slip away.

By the time they reached Azalea, it was well after dark and the sight of the glowing city in the clutches of the dark Ilex Forest and surrounding mountainous terrain was a relief. Unfortunately, she had to do some shopping around for a hotel, as they were promptly turned away from the Center. It was completely full up. At the very least, she got Riptide and Bullet taken care of before being turned away. Thankfully, there was a hotel almost a block away from the Center.

After checking in, settling in the room, and winding down, Lupin spread open a paper map across her bed, leaning over it to study. Riptide hopped up onto the beside her, eying the map with faint distaste.

"You still have a physical map," he stated dully with narrowing eyes. "You have a digital map on your pokégear, you know."

"I like having something in my hands, thank you. So sorry my preferences inconvenience you. Now hush, and help me plan this out." She motioned to the west of Azalea. Bullet followed Riptide's example and hopped up onto the bed, leaning in closer to the map. His black nose wiggled as he sniffed softly and turned to look at Lupin.

"That doesn't look like a lot of forest."

"Well, according to the nurse at the Pokémon Center, for the average trainer, it takes nearly a whole _month_ to get through," Lupin remarked. "We'll have to get supplies tomorrow before we head out."

"But…you're not the average trainer," Bullet said carefully, holding her gaze. "What if you put me and Riptide away? And you ran the entire way? You could make it in a few days or a week, couldn't you? You say you're really fast because you're a werewolf, right?"

The painfully earnest way he had offered the suggestion, coupled with his hopeful and expectant gaze nearly made Lupin melt. She actually almost considered the idea.

"That wouldn't be fair to either of you," she finally answered with a shake of the head. "I wouldn't be able to train you while we were in the Ilex Forest. If we want to get through any of the next couple of towns, it'd be next to suicide for you both if I skimped on any of that. The further we get, the more powerful the trainers and their pokémon, especially when it'll come down to the gym leaders. I want you both prepared. So we'll just have to take the long way like everyone else."

Bullet considered this for a moment. "I guess. And hey, maybe we can get someone else on the team!"

Riptide made an ugly sort of throat-snort. The Growlithe side-eyed the Croconaw with a small but noticeable look of disdain.

"What? We can't always carry the weight of the team by ourselves. Look at what happened to us in the Charicific Valley. You _know_ we need someone else."

"We don't need anyone else, it would simply be convenient to have someone else. If we were stronger, we probably wouldn't have had that much difficulty."

"You couldn't hit the broadside of that Aerodactyl, even if you wanted, and you know it." Bullet snapped back. Riptide's jaws clacked shut in genuine surprise, his crimson eyes widening. The puppy pokémon huffed, swelling a little at his chance to one-up the Croconaw. "Lupin is right; if we don't train, then we won't get strong enough for the challenges ahead. And if we can't do it, then it falls on Lupin to pick up the slack…and that isn't fair to her. _We're_ supposed to be the ones helping her find out who she is, and if we keep getting knocked out or worse, then she'll have no one. But we need help just like we need to help her. So stop being so high and mighty and let us have a new damned teammate! You're not as strong as you want to be yet, but you can be if you just swallow your pride. It won't kill you!"

Bullet was panting by the end of his tirade, his body tense and ready to spring up at the slightest provocation. It was as though he was simply waiting for an excuse to let loose even more. Gently, after Lupin had gotten over her impressed surprise, she patted his back. The Growlithe jumped, surprised, but settled almost immediately and flopped against her, burying his face into her side.

"I just want to help you the way I couldn't help Benjamin. I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Easy there, shhh. It's okay," she quietly soothed, rubbing him behind his ears and along his scruff. "I know. I know, it's okay."

When she looked back up at Riptide, he wouldn't meet her eyes. He looked almost…ashamed. Without a word, he quietly slipped off the bed and toddled off into the bathroom. Bullet fell asleep not long after that and after carefully extracting herself from the puppy pokémon's snoozing grip, Lupin headed after Riptide.

She found him loafing in the empty bathtub. She paused with her finger just shy of clicking the lights on.

"Don't," the Croconaw said softly. "I don't want the lights. Please."

She dropped her hand, closed the toilet seat and sat on top of it, waiting. It wasn't long before he spoke again.

"I don't trust other pokémon to keep their mouths shut. About you, I mean," he said after some time of him stewing in silence. "Gossip could spread. Wild pokémon might seek you out more actively. Trainers' pokémon won't understand. Humans even less so. And I trust the idea of a new teammate even less to stay alive. Some pokémon aren't sturdy enough. Bullet's proven his mettle…but he nearly died in that match against Bugsy's Scyther."

"Everything eventually dies. That's life. You'll die someday. I just hope it's much, much later rather than sooner. Like from old age or something."

Riptide let out another ugly throat-snort noise that was sounding suspiciously like a scoff to her now.

"I have a tougher hide than most _mammals_. Although I don't heal as quickly as you," he added quickly with a narrowing of his visible eye. When he turned his head, a faint gleam passed over it as the faint light from the bedroom outside bounced off of it. He blinked and it disappeared for a moment. "I don't want you bogged down by dead, useless weight...or by those who'd want to hurt you. Bullet is…earnest and trustworthy. And I'm fond. Of you, I mean. I don't want to see you hurt."

"Why, Riptide, I think that's the nicest thing you've said about me _and_ Bullet. And at once, my you've grown," Lupin chortled a little, flashing a grin at him. The Croconaw huffed another loud snort, followed up with a small raspy growl building in his throat.

"Don't read too much into it. You're still a pain in my tail." He snorted again, but it was softer this time around. "Perhaps we do need another team member, but…don't choose some common weakling. We need someone dependable."

"Well, it's not like I have pokémon flocking to me with resumes to get on our team. And you're entirely too picky on what kind of teammates we should have. We've caught a Rattata and Ekans, a Zubat and Sandshrew and a Geodude all along Route Thirty-Two _and_ Union cave before the Hoppip and Spearow down on Route Thirty-Three. That's not including the ones I've caught between Violet City, Cherrygrove and New Bark Town."

For a time, Riptide didn't answer. He had none at first and the longer he let time pass, the more likely it seemed he wouldn't respond. But, at last, he finally did and it was a quiet admission at that.

"They aren't strong enough. Aside from that murderous rock snake, they wouldn't be strong enough to keep up with us. We'd waste more time grinding to get them up to par, and even then, it's not a guarantee they'd survive against the more challenging battles ahead," Riptide tilted his head, his eye flashed, and then it was dark again as he turned to look at her more fully. She could see him just fine, however, lights or no. "But there might be hope the further north we go. The pokémon are stronger there."

Lupin repaid Riptide's earlier silence with her own. The hush that fell over them both crushed down, more so on the Croconaw's head than her own. He resisted the urge to squirm under a gaze that he could feel on him rather than see—the lighting was too low, even for his eyes. He only had a vague sense of where she was.

"Riptide…as much as I appreciate your input, you have to remember, it's up to me to choose new teammates. Not you. I've only withheld this long, mostly because I thought you'd come around sooner." She stood, slowly and he could feel her looming over him. She stooped long enough to turn on the bathwater and let it warm up before filling the tub for him. She said nothing as it did, and over the course of her newfound silence, he felt an inkling of guilt building up in his chest and it was like a vice slowly squeezing his chest. The crushing hush came crashing back down once the roar of the faucet water stopped.

"We'll head out to get our supplies in the morning. After that, we'll try to get some miles put behind us in the Ilex Forest itself before tomorrow evening. I'd like to get started as soon as we're able."

She left him with that said, quiet as can be.

The water in the tub felt like it had turned to ice in the wake of her silence.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**_Note_****: Again, I must apologize for the long period between chapters. Work truly has been nuts lately—I took over a job as Supply Chief ever since my boss recently retired, which is normally held by someone several ranks higher than I am. So, I'm essentially the boss of my shop which includes and extends over to our warehousing details as well as my office work. It's kind of drained my creativity to the point of the only things I'm capable of at the end of the day is being a zombie that can only summon enough brain power to mindlessly play video games (and ****_barely_**** at that), eat meals, take care of my daughter, and go to sleep. I'm slowly getting back into the game, though, so hopefully I'll have next chapter completed sooner! Thank you, my lovelies, for sticking around! **


	34. Chapter Thirty-Three: Destinations

**Chapter Thirty-Three:  
Destinations**

**_Disclaimer_****: I do not own ****_Pokémon_**** in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3**

**Note: I can't really say much, other than work was—and still is—insanely wibbly-wobbly in terms of scheduling. Massive projects and deadlines, continuous training, and much internal work drama/hilarity galore. It doesn't help at all that I am now the boss of my shop, as my old one recently retired in the last few months, which means more responsibility and later hours. I'm sure most of you realize where that leads to. Less creative time and more "I'm tired as fuck and braindead right now after work and family caretaking" moments. **

**I did want to finish this for y'all, however! I'm not entirely too happy with the wording for the chapter, but I've struggled for too long and finally wrangled it into a semblance of something worthwhile. I'm sure if I ever did a rewrite, I'll keep this chapter in mind. Until then, onward ho, my lovelies! **

**OoOoOoOoOoO  
**_  
_ _"You're gonna come with us."  
"Excuse me?"  
"You like ships. You don't seem to be lookin' at the destinations. What you care about is the ships, and mine's the nicest."  
"She don't look like much."  
"Oh, she'll fool ya. You ever sailed in a Firefly?"  
_**-Kaylee and Shepherd Book, "**_**Firefly**_**"**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The Ilex Forest had always been something of a background median to her. She was aware of its imposing, dark presence that pressed in close from the west, but never truly paid it any real mind. It was an obstacle for later, a challenge untaken until she was ready to move forward. Now that she had her focus narrowed in on it, it was only then that it really began to sink in that she needed to go through the forest.

The trees were ancient in comparison to the forests to the north she had hunted in the last full moon. The forest to the north looked like a child's playground in comparison. The trees of the Ilex Forest were gargantuan in size, dwarfing any buildings she's seen so far, even the pagoda back in Violet City. And the treetops were clustered so tightly together, the ground-level seemed perpetually cloaked in darkness, a perpetually constant nighttime that had taken up permanent residence within the confines of the forest. She could taste the oldness within the very air itself as she and her pokémon drew closer. Riptide was withdrawn for the most part, faithfully following beside her. Bullet grew noticeably antsy with every step that heralded them nearer. Even within Azalea City proper, they could always see the forest, a quietly looming presence that reminded all who cared to look that it was there, and it wasn't going anywhere. It was an encroaching beast on the verge of reclaiming them. It only had to wait.

"Do we really have to go through the forest? Can't we backtrack to Violet City and head to Ecruteak City instead? We'd get to Goldenrod that way too," he said, blue eyes never leaving the sight of the ancient trees.

"We'd lose weeks' worth of progress by backtracking all the way to Violet City," Lupin replied. She didn't falter in her step as she led the way to Ilex Forest. "If you want to travel in your pokéball, just say the word, Bullet. I won't force you to stick around the place if you don't want to."

Bullet shook his head, claws clicking along the sidewalk. "No, no, no! I don't want to leave you alone, I don't! It's just…" He glanced quickly at her, then back at the forest. "It's so _creepy_. I mean, look at it. It's dark."

"You can see in the dark." Riptide grumbled back.

"So? Just because I can doesn't mean I want to. It's not always _that_ great to know that there's things in there that want to hurt us and being able to see them too."

"Would it really make a difference if we were in the forest or on a route trail? We'll come across pokémon that want to hurt us regardless. The forest isn't any different."

"I know, it's…just hard to explain, okay?"

"Poor, sheltered little Growlithe. You've never had to deal with things like the true ferals have, have you?" Riptide goaded with a mockingly syrupy drawl to his tone. The puppy pokémon growled, words already lined up to fire back at the Croconaw.

"Oi," Lupin cut in with a warning tone. Riptide clacked his jaws, but said nothing further. Bullet was almost glad. At least focusing on the Croconaw's sarcastic and cutting words kept him preoccupied and his attention drawn away from Ilex Forest. The rest of the way was relatively quiet. The main path that led further into the forest was a prim mounted sign stuck between two giant tree trunks, announcing Ilex Forest proper. Another sign was nailed to the forest's posts, this one giving a brief history of Ilex Forest. It went on to detail the importance of the forest as a protected pokémon environment and to the charcoal industry as a whole that fueled Azalea's economy, warnings of the kinds of pokémon that are expected to be encountered within, and to respect the forest above all else.

Lupin got to the last line and squinted at it, reading it twice over. Riptide waited impatiently beside her.

"What does it say?" He finally asked.

"It's…just information on Ilex Forest, but this last line. 'Respect the forest or risk angering the Guardian, Celebi. I don't remember reading about that pokémon before..."

"Celebi?" Riptide repeated incredulously, his tone firm yet edgy. Bullet sucked in a breath and shot his gaze up high toward the heavens where the forest's canopy dwelled above them. Lupin pulled out her pokédex and inputted the search parameters for the name, but little information came up. The text wasn't even helpful and there was no picture, either. Dejected, Lupin put the machine away again.

"I guess we'll just try not to piss off anyone or anything too much while we're here. It's gonna be a long trek through, so let's try to make the best of it."

She didn't even make it three steps before she heard the call behind her. She had been aware of the footsteps following her; she had only been hoping to avoid a battle, just for today. It'd delay her and her team from the much needed traveling they'd need to undertake for the day. She turned, a sigh and a resignation that a battle was going to happen, no matter what—and then she stopped short of herself with a noise of surprise stuck in her throat.

Shirubā was there, his shockingly vibrant red hair standing out against his pale face. His sensible hiking attire was a little worse for the wear and was probably due for a changeover one of these days soon enough. Shirubā either didn't notice or care about the state of his clothes. His focus wasn't on his attire at all, but was instead solely locked on Lupin. A Bayleef stood beside him, heathy and lively looking, if the state of her bright green hide and full, thick leaf atop her head was any indication. Rust-coloured eyes glimmered with the prospect of heeding the call of a battle, and they were fixated on Riptide. Shirubā narrowed his eyes as he ventured closer to Lupin. He was taller, but that did little to deter Lupin from squaring her shoulders back and straightening a little more on the spot.

_Young-ass kid probably thinks I'm his age, with how short and young-looking _I _am. Does he even realize I'm an adult? He barely looks like he made it out of school himself! _

Her thoughts unheard aside, she focused more on Shirubā himself. He didn't look any worse for the wear, unlike his attire. If anything, he appeared determined and focused, although she could care less for the way he stared at her. It was like she was a bug-type pokémon that he very much intended to squish beneath his feet, but he wasn't sure if it'd be enough to keep her down.

Shirubā stopped just short of her, his Bayleef doing much the same. She dipped her head toward Riptide. He did her the same courtesy. Bullet glanced between the two and settled on the Croconaw after a time.

"You two know each other?" He remarked at last.

"You could say that," Riptide answered coolly. "We were at Professor Elm's lab together for a time, before he stole her."

Riptide jerked his snout toward Shirubā, clacking his jaws noisily. "He's a worse criminal than you are. At least you stole to survive. He stole just because he wanted something and didn't want to wait like everyone else."

A hiss built up in Riptide's chest, bubbling up into his throat and spilling out from his slightly parted maw. Shiruba glanced at him for only a moment, his gaze breaking off from Lupin's.

"Keep your little monster under control," he snapped, returning his gaze back on the werewolf.

"What do you want? I kind of have a schedule to keep, so if you don't mind…"

She half-turned back toward the forest, clearly intent on leaving. Shirubā barked at her, "As a matter of fact, I do mind! I heard about what happened at the Slowpoke Well. That was you, wasn't it?"

Lupin narrowed her eyes and turned back toward him. "And how, exactly, would you even be able to prove if I was there?"

"I have my sources. But it was you, I know it was. If the stupid Mareep-like masses could put two and two together, they'd actually be able to figure out that the only trainer around here with a Croconaw and a Growlithe wandering around was their town's so-called savior, and then you'd be a lot more swamped with 'admirers'. The police were doing you a thinly-veiled courtesy with keeping you anonymous for the time being."

The only thing that was 'thinly-veiled' was his sneer and it was poorly done at that. _Okay, kid, enough's enough. I'm done playing this game with you._

"I'm sorry, did I happen to do something that offended your apparently fragile and childish ego? Because the last I checked, I have never met you before our first battle back on the outskirts of Cherrygrove, so I'm a little confused as to where this animosity is coming from. Did I accidentally run over your…whatever, pokémon, in another lifetime that I'm just having trouble remembering about?"

Bullet snorted and Riptide choked back a laugh. Lupin fought to keep from smiling after the irony of her statement hit her full force after she'd said it. Shirubā scowled, looking even more irate than moments before.

"I've seen you hanging around Professor Elm's lab, shortly after your so-called 'accident'. Faking amnesia to con your way into getting a pokémon? What a laugh. What, were you so weak and pathetic that you had to come up with some copout mental problem to score yourself some sympathy points with the old man?"

The Growlithe at her side lurched forward a step, his hackles bristling and a snarl pulling his snout. Lupin sharply whistled, stopping him from stepping any closer. Bullet's ears pulled back against his head and he hesitated, as though contemplating ignoring her, but in the end he shuffled back a few steps until he was beside her again. Riptide hadn't moved, but he hadn't needed to. He had ballooned his body to an impressive display of a spiny, unwelcoming ball of scales and teeth, crimson eyes glowering at the young man. The Bayleef at his side tried to hold his gaze, but dropped it after only a minute, looking rather abashed. Her trainer didn't notice her, but he smirked at Lupin when she said nothing.

"So you were faking it," he taunted.

"Why would I fake something that I'm still struggling with? If I had wanted to 'score' myself something from the professor, then I probably would have hightailed it home by now with my prize in tow. And since I'm still on the road, and going from town to town asking people 'do you know me, have I lived here, can you help me', then that would probably negate the entirety of your argument now, wouldn't it?"

His smile only faltered once. He shrugged.

"Whatever. Continue with your little charade, not like I give a shit." His gaze hardened, and his smile dropped at last. It was replaced by a hard, thin line. "Tell me something. Is it true Team Rocket really returned?"

Lupin kept quiet, deciding on whether or not to answer him. Shirubā's red eyes raked over her, and she could almost see a desperate gleam in them, a hungry yearning to actually know. He clenched his jaw when she didn't answer right away, the muscles in his neck pulling taut and corded.

"Well?!"

She nodded. Not much point in denying it at this point, was there? It wasn't like she had been sworn to secrecy by the police to not say anything. "It really was Team Rocket at the Slowpoke Well. They were cutting off the tails of Slowpokes and selling them on the black market. I had to take them out."

Shirubā scoffed. "_You_ beat them? Quit lying, like you are about your so-called 'condition'."

"You think I'm lying? Fine, that's up to you, but it's what happened. Otherwise, how else would you have gotten your 'information' from you 'source' about Team Rocket in the first place?"

It could have been the news, for all she knew, but she wouldn't know. She'd been too busy, too preoccupied, with things other than turning on a television, tuning into the news, and sitting on her ass for a whole day watching it. Shirubā, however, seemed to finally take her words into serious consideration the second time around on her insistence. He dropped his gaze, his hand resting on the pokéballs at his waist. His Bayleef shifted on her feet, moving her long neck a little closer to him as she waited expectantly.

"So you're really not joking," he mused. His hand balled into a fist at his side and he snapped his head back up to glare at her, almost like she had just insulted him. "Then why don't we see how good you really are!"

A brilliant flash of light briefly caught the werewolf off guard. Shirubā hadn't sent out his Bayleef first. Instead, a morphing ball of _something_ coalesced first before her. It didn't take a true shape, not at first, but it slowly dawned on Lupin that the ball of something _was_ the pokémon. And it only took her another moment to fully recognize it: a Gastly.

Lupin quickly backed up to give her opponent's pokémon and her own ample room. The gaseous-looking pokémon floated freely as it smiled with a mouth full of needle-like teeth. They were all sticking out and that horrible mouth curved into a crescent like an angler fish's grin. Its wide, eerie eyes narrowed with malicious glee.

"Oh, what fun we're going to have! Hurry up, send out your first victim, I'll be sure to make it quick for them," the Gastly taunted as it floated a little higher above her. Riptide stepped forward without a word, his long tail dragging on the ground behind him. The Gastly lowered, and expanded its grin even wider across its blob of a vague body while it tittered delightedly. "I lied. I won't make it easy on you. I don't like playing nice. So sorry."

"Nightmare, use mean look!"

The Gastly's entire face morphed from the slightly terrifyingly goofy façade it had held since it emerged to an all piece of floating nightmare. The fangs seemed to elongate and grow like jagged spears, the mouth that held them expanded and grew, and its eyes took on a terrifying pale red light all of their own that was all aimed at Riptide. Even Lupin felt a chill rush down her like a river of ice water had injected itself into her spine. Bullet yelped beside her and buried his face against her leg. Riptide remained unmoved, standing stock still where he was as the Gastly followed through with its order.

Shirubā looked pleased as he assessed Riptide's frozen face. "Get in there and use lick attack!"

"Rip, get outta the way and blast it with a water gun!"

Whatever spell that had held the Croconaw broke and he dove into action. Nightmare the Gastly careened forward rapidly with a gaping maw, lolling tongue, and a hysterical shrieking laugh, hell bent on swiping it along Riptide's face. Nightmare missed as Riptide dove out of the way at the last second. Nightmare ended up catching only spiny osteoderms on the Croconaw's backside before pulling up with a cringe.

"Hey, that hurt! Hold still so I can paralyze you," the Gastly cried out indignantly. Riptide graced him with a response that turned the impish giggles from the ghost-type into an outright cry of surprise as a spiraling torrent of water slammed into the ghost's side. As the Gastly was spiraling away with a panicked wail, Lupin shouted, "Ice fang and quick!"

Riptide lurched forward, first rushing on all fours before he quickly pushed himself to his hind legs. Frost accumulated rapidly along his snout until jagged icicles formed over his conical fangs and he closed the distance rapidly between himself and Nightmare. Shirubā had a warning lined up on his lips too late. Riptide's jaws found their mark and he crushed down with powerfully unrelenting force on his victim and set to throttling the Gastly soundly. He whipped his short powerful neck back and forth rapidly, as though he was determined to rip chunks out of the ghostly apparition that was his opponent. It wasn't until the ghost had gone limp and the ethereal essence that surrounded Nightmare diminished to a feeble spark that Shirubā recalled the Gastly to the safe confines of its pokéball. The young man scowled, glanced at his Bayleef and jerked his head toward the makeshift battleground.

"Your turn, Willow."

She dipped her head into a nod and daintily stepped forward, looking at Riptide warily.

The Croconaw wiped away the last bits of icicles dangling from his jaws, crimson eyes narrowing. The leaf above her head swayed, as though with a will of its own.

"Sorry about this," she said, moments before Shirubā shouted, "Razor leaf! Cut that useless sack of scales to ribbons!"

Willow complied with a whip of her neck, the leaf adorning her head flailing in time to her sways. Riptide moved in the way at that moment, and blocked the actual attack's release. Lupin gulped down a yelp as Riptide dove out of the way and a barrage of razor-sharp leaves hurtled past, just barely missing her and Bullet.

"Ice fang again; take her out, Rip!"

Riptide hurtled forward, gaining ground on Willow. The Bayleef clacked her beak sharply in astonishment, scrambling to put distance between herself and the encroaching Croconaw. He snapped at her once and missed, snapped a second time and grabbed hold of her neck. Willow squealed and flailed, kicking with her forelimbs at Riptide uselessly. Ice grew in rapid succession along his jaws and speared themselves against her neck. Blood spurted, but it was a green ooze rather than the bright red Lupin had been expecting. It dribbled down from the wounds as Willow struggled a little longer before going limp. Shirubā recalled her quickly, growing redder in the face as he threw his last remaining pokéball onto the battlefield.

"Delta, use supersonic!" Shirubā screeched. Before the light even finished forming, Lupin could recognize the telltale membranous wings and huge ears that marked a Zubat's appearance. The fluttering little bat followed up on its master's command as soon as it came into being, releasing a piercing screech that was painful to withstand. Lupin had to clap her hands over her skull, her ears pressing tightly to her head. Bullet yowled and did much the same to his, eyes squeezed firmly shut.

Riptide suffered just as much and quickly; he flopped over on the ground and held on for dear life as low-throated groans poured out of his maw.

"Rip?" Lupin slowly lowered her hands, looking at the big jaw pokémon as he tried to get to his paws and was failing terrifically. His jaws clacked noisily as he hit the ground again and again.

"That supersonic attack confused him pretty badly," Bullet said with a scowl, peeping an eye open carefully. He slowly pushed himself up to his paws and looked up at Lupin. "Send me in. He'll just end up hurting himself before he can refocus and attack again."

Lupin hesitated, thinking on it, then nodded. "Rip, get back here. Bullet, take his place."

Bullet bounded forward and gave Riptide a gentle head butt, herding him toward Lupin. The werewolf dragged him back the rest of the way as Bullet settled back on the playing field. The Zubat hovered close by its trainer, ears trained on the Growlithe.

"Supersonic," Shirubā ordered sharply.

"Ember! Knock it off course!"

The screeching attack came again, but it was short-lived as Bullet hawked a quick bright glob of fire at the fluttering bat pokémon. Smoke wafted off of Delta, but it was still in the fight. "Bite attack!"

"Flame wheel!"

Bullet's fur coat caught flame and he was hurtling forward with reckless abandon as it did. The Zubat pulled back too late and was hit face first with the fiery canine in full force. Another crescendo of screams permeated the air, along with another beam of light recalling the injured party. Shirubā clenched his jaw and glowered at Lupin and her pokémon. "Useless. You only won this time around because my pokémon were weak."

He clipped the pokéball to his belt, his face still screwed up into that ugly scowl. When he regarded the werewolf again, his eyes were ablaze with a dark, fevered light. "I hate the weak; pokémon or trainers, it doesn't matter. I'm going to get stronger and I'll wipe out weaklings like you. And that goes for Team Rocket as well. They act big and tough like they're hotshots, but get them alone and they're just as weak as the rest you people."

The redhead sneered, shouldering the pack he had more securely on his back. "So stay the hell out of my way. You'll only serve as a distraction."

"Uh…yeah. Did you happen to forget the part where you stole a research pokémon from a highly respected professor of this region? I don't think so, buddy. This whole imaginary rivalry you've built up in your head against me was cute and all at first, but now I'm taking you in to the police station. You're going to answer for what you did."

The heavy beating of wings was her only warning of something big coming their way. It was as sudden as a crack of misplaced thunder, coming down upon them like a bolt out of the blue. When she craned her neck back to peer into the wild blue yonder, she was more than surprised when a large and imposing _something_ was blocking out the remaining view of the sky above.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"You let him get away."

He got away again. Again! She was getting sick of watching Shirubā disappear like the sleazy Raticate he really was. He talked a big game, but he rubbed her the wrong way and made her skin crawl. Even for someone who was comparably a child to her, he was nothing but trouble.

"Am I supposed to apologize?"

The feral grin that imposed itself in her general direction was not warm or kind. It was a warning that was coupled within the question that highly suggested she probably should consider her words before answering, if at all.

Lupin promptly threw caution to the wind.

"Oh for fuck's sake—_yes_. Yes, you should have. He stole one of those pokémon—"

"Was it one of ours from the valley?"

The Charizard that towered over them was the same scarred beast that had saved them from the poachers' Aerodactyl, Twitch. It was the first time any of them had heard him speak. And when he did, it was as though the very bones of the earth was rumbling together, quivering in fear or awe at the deep, sonorous tone he spoke in. Conversely, he was also quiet when he spoke, like the whispers of dead leaves skittering across the road—it raked up along one's spine in chills and it forced one to actually listen. His icy stare didn't help very much, either. He watched them all, with unblinking pale blue eyes and with a single-minded focus as he watched their every move—from the faintest twitch to the very way they each breathed. He was studying them with an intensity that made even Riptide uncomfortable. Lupin decided she would refuse to give the Charizard the satisfaction of squirming under his inscrutable gaze.

"No," she said at last. "No, it belonged to the professor of this region."

"Then I don't care," the Charizard huffed another pale wisp of smoke past his flared nostrils, his gaze turning lidded and lazy, but that sharpness was still there, thinly veiled beneath a veneer of mock-relaxation. He straightened slightly and reached with curved talons nearly the size of her hands to a small leather pouch that dangled from his thick wrist. With surprising dexterity, he loosened the bundle and presented it to her, captured behind pillars of thick bone and leathery flesh. She could smell the smoke and ash and flame that coated his rusty red-orange hide and a lifetime of hardship littered his body. His pale slick scars, from the most obvious ones to the tinier scores decorating his giant paws, were testimony enough.

"Liza has requested this be given to you. She would have come herself, but I obliged to do it, if only to stretch my wings and get away from the valley for a time."

That caught the werewolf's attention. She snapped her eyes up to meet the Charizard's in surprise, her hand outstretched, fingers just barely grazing the pouch.

"I'm sorry, but…'get away from the valley'? Isn't that your home?"

A darker gush of pungent smoke hissed out from the Charizard's nostrils this time, and his eyes narrowed to mirror Lupin's. She couldn't get an exact bead on where his thoughts were traveling, but there was a spark of something in them. She was still trying to discern if it was good or bad when he began speaking again.

"The Charicific Valley is home to any Charizard who so wishes it to be," he answered with a silken growl. "But even those who have a love for their home can tire of its routine and wish for changes to disrupt familiarity and complacency from time to time. Is that why you became a trainer? To travel and rile up the humdrum moments of your own life?"

"That's…not entirely why I left—although if I can't really say I have a home right now."

Those pale blue eyes widened ever so slightly in mild interest and the Charizard leaned his head down along his snaking neck. A deep rumble began building in his broad chest, softly at first, with a hint of curiosity tinging it. The pupils grew a little larger, from a thin slit to a sliver of an oval as he studied her more intently.

"A curious way to put things. What would be home for you, if you had to describe one?"

"I…" At first, the words had almost spilled out of her; she nearly fell back on her old remarks of her condition, but then the thought of how people looked at her, how they treated her since learning about it came to mind. She closed her mouth and gave a listless shrug in response. For now, it was best to keep things under wraps. "I can't really say. Nothing's ever felt like it quite yet. Being on the road feels…it feels close enough to it, though."

The Charizard waited, suddenly and eerily ensconced in utter silence, he practically dripped with it. It grew to the point where the overwhelming quietness had become a deafening roar to Lupin's ears. Even the forest had fallen to an utter hush with the looming presence of the Charizard lurking so close to the ancient forest. It was as though it knew to respect the great draconic beast rather than to invite his wrath by uttering anything out of place.

After an eternity had passed, the great beast lifted his heavy skull away from her, tipping his head in a nod as though satisfied with her answer. Lupin carefully took the pouch that still sat in the massive paw of the Charizard. Carefully, he retracted his arm away, and she busied herself with opening the pouch. Inside was an envelope, the flap folded within itself instead of glued down. On the front was Lupin's name hastily scrawled in quick little scratches; simple and sweet and to the point.

She tore the letter open and scanned through it, ignoring the feeling of Riptide's hard stare and Bullet's openly curious ones. She could also feel the Charizard's gaze still boring down on her, like the waves of heat that were shimmering off of him. It didn't bother her any—if anything, she barely noticed, but the fact that she noticed at all was enough.

She focused on the letter instead, reading through the words piece by piece. When she wordlessly began putting it away after finishing, Riptide perked.

"What does it say?"

"Just a thank you for helping the Charizard out against the poachers, and her contact information if I ever wanted to come back," she muttered sourly, before turning the pouch over upside down and shaking it over her open palm. A pokéball came tumbling out in response, plain and innocuous, its finish gleaming in the afternoon sun. She held the minimized object up, pinched between her thumb and index finger as she thrust it up toward the Charizard accusingly. "What the hell is this?"

The Charizard curled back his lips in a grotesque parody of a smile, exposing his curved dagger-like fangs to the open air while his eyes narrowed in thinly veiled amusement.

"I believe it's called a pokéball."

Lupin scowled. Bullet huffed through his snout indignantly with a mild glower, but when the Charizard turned his icy gaze toward the Growlithe, Bullet quickly sidestepped to hide behind Lupin. Riptide kept up a long and low hiss, deep from his chest and throat without pause. The Charizard's eyes narrowed, but the rumble within his own chest remained steady in pitch.

"Why is Liza making you come with me?"

The growl intensified enough to make her skin break out in unexpected gooseflesh, a wave of shivers rolling across her body at the noise. A more primitive instinct, having been curled up and tensed at the back of her mind, awoke in a hurry and told her to stay on her toes around such a large opponent. It was that same little voice that had warned her against the Ariados queen, against Slate the Onix. It was also the same little voice that goaded her to continue onwards, but at a more cautious pace. Her tail instantly broke out into a puffy mess beneath her coat and her ears pressed tighter against her skull underneath her hat. The Charizard bared his fangs again, but the forced smile wasn't present this time.

"My home is where I choose it to be. Whether it is within the borders of the Charicific Valley, or traveling upon the open roads and skies, it is up to me and me alone. Our 'caretaker' has no say in where I am to go, either. I chose to leave, just as I chose to settle in the valley in the first place, years ago."

"And why the hell would I take you? You—"

Lupin cut herself short, her words swept away like she'd nearly swallowed her tongue when the Charizard thrust his huge skull into her face, the heat and acrid smoke billowing in her face. Bullet barked in alarm while Riptide's hiss upgraded itself to a snappish howl.

"You, little flame walker, haven't the vaguest clue as to what you're doing. You're adrift like an errant ember on the winds, at the mercy of the air's currents and helpless to alter your course without guidance. Your little water dweller and loyal pup aren't foundation enough to keep you afloat should that wind fail you and without the knowledge to right yourself, you'll plummet and never get back up again. You might turn into a glorious little blaze when you land, or you might gutter out. Who knows? You certainly don't."

The length of the Charizard's skull, even without his imposing horns, was about as long as Lupin's torso. He could snap his jaws around her torso and crush her in half if he had wanted. His intense gaze reminded her of Duke's and once again, she felt that chill creep up her backside, a million tiny icy hands pitter-pattering up and down the length of her body and was worming its way into her core. This was an opponent not to be messed with, she suddenly decided. Just like Duke.

She could practically sense Riptide's venomous glare squarely focused on the Charizard that was too close to her for his comfort. She could feel Bullet pressing tightly against her despite the plain and fearful shaking that wracked his body. She was suddenly glad that they had never met Duke.

"I choose to go where I wish and it is by no one's admission but my own," he repeated with care articulating his words. "And I chose to come because you are a rather curious little ember bobbing about in the air. A fellow flame walker with a heart fire…who is _not_ a pokémon. Of all the oddities in the world I've encountered, there hasn't been any of your ilk running about, and I have been around for quite some time."

Despite the invasion of her personal space, Lupin tried not to let it get to her. She stared down the Charizard with a look that showed she wasn't going to be easily intimidated by him. She could refrain from unwisely spewing out something that could land her getting ripped to shreds. For now.

After a moment, she finally said as coolly as she could manage, "You're deciding to leave the Charicific Valley mainly because you're bored and I was convenient and apparently 'interesting' enough to tag along with."

The timbre of the growling changed pitch, soft little coughs interjecting themselves at even intervals and his leather lips pulled back into his toothy smile.

"Call me Bōkun. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, little flame walker."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


End file.
